


Caught in the Act

by vase



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anti-Faunus Racism (RWBY), Canon-Typical Violence, Cinder is not having a fun week, Gen, References to child abuse & Grooming (Kept vague & is based on Adam's canon Behavior), The White Fang, Worldbuilding, canon derailed, faunus, rebelling against the state, references to Fantastic Racism, what if
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 59,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22934563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vase/pseuds/vase
Summary: When the opportunity to uncover the source of the White Fang’s recent woes unveils itself to Sienna, she takes it, and the world begins to shift, whether those who pull the string like it, or not.
Comments: 58
Kudos: 35





	1. Caught in the Act

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning, I have seven chapters written of this story I intend to publish on a weekly basis, but the story doesn't end there so much as I am on hiatus for which I am sorry, but I hope this is a fun read and thanks to mylordshesacactus for giving me the encouragement to publish this here. Any and all thoughts, feedback and or questions are welcome and appreciated.
> 
> EDIT: With greatest and highest praise and thanks to my editor for all their help!

Sienna’s chambers were not terribly grandiose, as High Leader she only saw reason to indulge in extravagance when it served some more practical purpose like projecting authority. This meant within the halls of Fort Castle, while her residence was well equipped it was not particularly marvelous.  
  
The lightly patterned stone walls were carved into sharp, flat squares all around her, bedecked in red drapes and wall hangings depicting moments of Faunus history and art, be it, written, painted or otherwise. The wooden frame of her single bed matched that of the cupboards, draws and table, culled from the southern woods of Anima by Free Faunus and purchased in bulk for the White Fang from the Southern Settlements, each adorned patterns and sigils of significance.  
  
She had a small secondary chamber where weapons and training equipment were stored, but otherwise it was at most somewhat larger than the usual residence of the hidden fortress city.  
  
‘ _And there is a good reason for that,_ ’ she mused. Frowning, she cast her gaze across maps and scrolls and dozens of folders pulled from hidden safes only she and a few others even knew of that were strewn around her chambers in a sort of ordered chaos that reminded her of the war tents in her revolutionary days.  
  
In Sienna's hands was clutched one of several glowing Scrolls, their metal frames beginning to strain under her claws strength as she ground her fangs.  
  
 _‘What is wrong with his picture?’_  
  
It had all started months ago when the Vale chapters main camp came under attack, an assault that cost them communications within the first few minutes of the battle. Following that, nothing for over a month even as their agents in Vale and its subordinate cities continued to report in.  
  
Then, a near miracle, Adam returned with a small squad of hardened soldiers at his back to reveal they had been infiltrated or betrayed. His camp had been assaulted by Hunters and he’d barely been able to save his few remaining soldiers, leading them on a tense journey across the Grimm infested wild lands to return home.  
  
His warning had come at the perfect time for not long after bases began being raided, be it by bandits, Hunters or even Grimm! Longstanding contacts and collaborators were vanishing, only now after three months of troop movements and pitched battles were they getting things under control.  
  
‘ _But it still doesn’t fit right…_ ’ Sienna thought, looming over a record of recent losses.  
  
The fact no government took credit for the destroyed Vale Chapter, was suspicious, as was the lack of arrests in Vale, Ironwood was many things, but he was not subtle and if it were the Schnee or someone else, well…  
  
 _‘I’d at least know something of their agents, but our spies are reporting nothing unusual, our attackers aren’t even going after our Dust raiding operations!’_ Which mean the Schnee and those of his vile ilk weren’t liable to be responsible unless playing a long game for which they had neither the experience nor training to even make the first opening move.  
  
 _‘There is something I am missing, some enemy just out of sight…’_  
  
It had been the Scroll call that was pushing her suspicions over the edge though.  
  
Using one of her personal burner Scrolls she had gone around the usual White Fang networks and tried to contact some of her agents, particularly in Vale. It had been an off chance, a sudden whim and a rare one of which she felt was worth heeding, leading to a brief skim on the net that had revealed to her several of their fronts were not only operational but still inhabited by their agents.  
  
 _‘So why hadn’t they reported in?’_  
  
Most had not picked up, and she had feared them compromised and self-isolating but then, one had, Tuckson, owner of a bookstore that doubled as a ‘bank’ and laundering front. But even more as a means of collecting and saving banned materials and shipping goods. He’d been at the heart of a great deal of information, so his freedom was a surprise if one were trying to gut the White Fang.  
  
But the call had been… strange.  
  
“Tukson’s Book Trade, home to every book under the sun!”  
  
“I hope you have every book under the moon as well.”  
  
But rather than respond to the coded phrase he had started stammering.  
  
“I- High- I mean, sorry it’s just a catch phrase, can I get you anything, was there something missing in my stock?”  
  
“It was a simple joke friend, no need to become so anxious.”  
  
“Ahah, yes, a joke, very funny ma’am, but I am afraid I am ah, far too tired for that kind of thing, it is very late here, good night.”  
  
Then he hung up on her.  
  
Sienna squeezed the Scroll again, a deep rumble boiling up from her chest and echoing across her chambers, as her ears went flat against her head.  
  
 _‘This started in Vale, but it seems it did not leave as we had suspected.’_  
  
Her gaze flicked to the maps bared her fangs in a low growl, she was needed elsewhere, so many forces on the move and in action to keep everything running, to stop this sudden wave of assaults from undermining all they’d done!  
  
Did she have time to spend?  
  
Could she risk sending anyone into a foe she knew nothing about?  
  
No, that would not be fair, and she would not send her soldiers into a trap if she could help it.  
  
A buzz snapped her from her reverie and Sienna’s eyes widened as she skimmed Ceto’s report on her Command Scroll.  
  
 _‘Ahead of schedule, all is in order.’_  
  
Quick and to the point, fitting for the head of the Shadow Fangs, even if Sienna missed the more flowery manner their friend had carried themselves with during their youth.  
  
Such thoughts of course brought her mind to Kali, Ghira and their child, sending another wave of tension across her frame.  
  
 _‘Adam said she was in hiding and safe but…’_  
  
Sienna snorted and snatched up her Command Scroll and sent through a simple coded message.  
  
 _‘I’m glad, I’ll be heading off soon, can you fill in for me?’_  
  
‘ _Always_.’  
  
With her next mission now in capable hands and Fort Castle already well guarded, Sienna just needed to pull together a squad and set a course for Vale without anyone knowing she was doing so.  
  
Until she found the source of all this, she would have to tread lightly.

* * *

“Amitola.”  
  
Ilia strangled a screech of surprise at the High Leader’s stern voice materializing out of nowhere behind her. Skidding around she faced the towering tiger Faunus and saluted, “How may I serve the cause, High Leader?”  
  
Blinking owlishly for a moment, Sienna offered her an almost friendly smirk and said, “I’m tapping you for a mission, I thought we might need a stealth expert and your skills are exemplary.”  
  
“I, I thank you High Leader but wouldn’t one of my seniors be more suited?” Ilia asked, feet shuffling nervously.  
  
Sienna waved her off, “I and my High Guard will be there if anything goes wrong, consider this a field test if you like, to see if you can start moving up to more independent positions.”  
  
Mouth dry, Ilia nodded, “I won’t disappoint you, High Leader, when do we leave?”  
  
Sienna’s golden eyes didn’t even flicker nor did she seem to move before she was holding Ilia’s Scroll in her hands, “You have your weapons and I don’t expect this to take long, so we leave now and travel light, no Scrolls save my secured systems.”  
  
Ilia’s tongue bunched up in her mouth as she failed to find words of protest and hastily followed the older Faunus down the crimson tinted hallways of Fort Castle in a blur.

_'What is going on!?'_

* * *

Sienna hadn’t initially planned to confiscate her subordinates Scrolls’, but containment was necessary given she was subverting her own plans on the off chance it would surprise some hidden enemy. And of course, if their interlopers still had some form of backdoor to their systems, she didn’t want them getting the chance to see her coming.   
  
Thus, she ensured the general details of her original plan were known, having already updated Ceto to adapt on their isolated burner Scroll, then sealed the devices away in her chambers.  
  
Leading her entourage to the hidden docks that resided beneath the lands of Fort Castle, Sienna's gaze quickly took in the docking bay.   
  
It was a marvel of adapting engineering in Sienna’s own humble opinion.  
  
The ancient stone basement had been expanded over their five-year occupation, great pillars added for supports and new tech retrofitted to what had once been a mere bunker.  
  
Dozens of ships filled the grand chamber from a flotilla of traditional Anima Airships they’d installed metal lining and advanced cannons on, to a multitude of harvested Bullheads, cargo ships and even Atlas Specialist ships taken in raids or from crashes. All now repaired and ready to serve. Each able to take flight thanks to the tunnels carved and fortified into the earth above, with false ground laid atop them as a disguise.  
  
The chamber itself was running on a skeleton crew though thanks to the amount of shipping and troop transports they’d needed to do recently. Sienna had granted the overseers a much deserved break, so the chamber was eerily quiet, Sienna’s ears and eyes primed for anything on instinct as she and her followers marched through the chamber.  
  
However, as it was with their war, secrecy was an ally and thus many of their ships could pass for normal vessels until that need passed and Sienna sought out an unexpected liner for her trip.  
  
She could sense her subordinates surprise at her forgoing the original Bullhead prepped for her trip, but she merely needed to say, “Subtely is our ally, and this ship hasn’t been used in recent months.” And they understood, even if some looked unhappy beneath their hoods and masks.  
  
Perhaps not much of a surprise, the vessel before them was once a pleasure cruiser of some Anima Elite who they’d found was keeping Faunus "Housekeepers" in his home under armed guard. Suffice to say the home no longer existed, the Faunus had been freed and the ship was now theirs. It was a small thing, designed well to mix elegance and speed, resembling a curved and rounded wooden sailboat it lacked the customary ventral pod attached to the ‘keel’ it’s base was laid bare save for their own armor modifications but they’d kept it subtle so that it could pass for a civilian ship. The engine was hidden inside and its propellers were smaller than was customary to make them less intrusive to the ship's ‘elegant’ design, instead of two giant propellers, it had half a dozen smaller ones woven into the rear and base of the vessel. Along with elegant butterfly like wings and a slim mast.  
  
“It will be faster than it looks and let us easily maintain cover, hop aboard and let us be gone, we’ve no time to waste.  
  
“As you say, High Leader!” Each followed her to the ship's deck with a quick leap and Sienna made her way to the steering wheel before anyone else had the chance.  
  
‘ _It has certainly_ _Been awhile,_ ’ she mused as the engine thrummed and the wings slowly unfurled as her troops looked up at her.  
  
“High Leader, don’t we need a flight controller to open the gate?” Ilia asked.  
  
“I have someone on it,” she answered, pressing down on the lift peddle and hearing the familiar hum and hiss of processed Dust as the ship’s weight vanished and it pushed itself into the air.  
  
Within the Launch Center a Faunus in a heavy layer of cloth and adorned with a heavy metallic gas mask saluted and opened the gate. Sienna guided the ship into the tunnels and soon burst forth from the ground into the towering forests of Anima.  
  
‘ _Time to get to the bottom of this,_ ’ she thought, gazing intently at the horizon as they soared into the clouds and disappeared.

* * *

Things were slow today, which was good, it gave Tuckson plenty of time to feign taking inventory even as he was actually moving from one carefully constructed blind spot to the next. Each time, unfurling his Scroll for a brief moment to take another step on his plan to finally escape.  
  
 _‘I’m close, I’m so close-‘_  
  
Then the power flicked off and an odd scent touched his nostrils, like ash and ink, accompanied by a rough, firm voice, that spoke, “Tuckson?”  
  
He spun around, claws unfurling, teeth gnashing, even as he was already half falling to the floor, knees quaking as he stared up at the towering visage of the High Leader herself.  
  
“hi- High Leader, I-“  
  
“The cameras are down, Tuckson, as are any bugs, we fried them along with the lights, now,” Sienna offered her hand, “I need a status report on what has been going on since the attack on the Vale Chapter.”  
  
Tuckson placed his shaking hand in her own and answered, “You’re… not involved in all this?”

* * *

Tuckson’s storage room was more than a little crowded, packed to the walls with crates, stacks of books and leather scrolls on rows upon rows of shelves. There was only one chair, but Sienna had refused it, in favor of letting Tuckson sit and collect himself while she had busied herself perusing his records, the one's kept off the books and in code.  
  
To say the least, this sudden intake of Dust stores in old familiar code, along with shipping and raid schedules, with plans to serve as a safe house was disturbing, given she had ordered none of it and not been told an accursed thing.  
  
Running a hand through his hair, Tuckson sighed, half glancing at the assorted High Guards cramped into the room, while Ilia blended in above watching the streets.  
  
“I’m sorry for not trying to contact you, High Leader, at first many of us doubted you’d order such things, at least so carelessly. But as time wore on and those who protested disappeared and no word or aid came, it got easier to believe, I know some tried to contact you but I never heard from them again. It got hard to believe in anything save that one recurring order.”  
  
“Don’t think, obey,” Sienna seethed, slamming the coded book shut and handing it off to Laffa, one of her High Guard gunners who added it to the crate of evidence she was to be taking away with her.  
  
“Those were their words, High Leader….”  
  
A low rumbling growl echoed across the room as her foot falls grew heavy.  
  
Ube put his spear to the side and opened his arms imploringly, “High Leader, Adam could not be ordering this. He is our brother; this must be the work of some other faction.”  
  
“If all that we’ve heard is true, Ube, then Adam is either aware of it and uncaring, or so stupid he has somehow missed it.”  
  
“If it is true,” Ube countered.  
  
“It is, I-“  
  
Sienna’s hand clamped over his mouth as her buzzer went off, a signal from Ilia that was fulfilled when the door opened with a jingle.  
  
‘ _Their footsteps are so quiet…_ ' Sienna thought, ears twitching and straining to hear the duo who had entered as she and her High Guard blended into the stacks.  
  
“Hello?” An all too chipper voice called, followed by a rougher voice grunting in annoyance, “Think he’s gone?” too quiet to be heard by human ears but easily detected by her own,  
  
Sienna motioned for Tuckson to move and he nodded, steeled himself and plastered a smile on his face.  
  
“I’ll be right there, sorry for the wait!” He scooped up a stack of books, his faux confident gait slowing the moment he passed into the main floor as he added on, words dripping with tension, “So… How can I help you two?”  
  
A book slammed shut as a lazy voice answered, “l’m just browsing, but don’t run off now, I might need you for something.”  
  
The second voice, so sickly sweet it must have been fake, spoke up, “Actually, I was wondering do you have any copies of “The Thief and The Butcher”?”  
  
“Actually, we do, I have several right out the back,” Tuckson said with false cheer.  
  
“That’s great!” The sweet voice answered, before silence filled the room.  
  
“Did you want me to go get one or-“  
  
“No. I just wanted to know.”  
  
“Oh, oh! What about ‘Violet’s Garden’, in paperback?”  
  
“He’s got it. Hardback too,” The book was slammed down on a shelf.  
  
“Hey, please be careful with the goods.”  
  
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m very careful,” The lazy, rough voice mocked.  
  
Sighing, Tuckson asked, “Is there anything else you might be interested in? We have every book under the sun after all.”  
  
The sweeter voice hummed in thought, idly toying with something on Tuckson’s desk that made a metallic scraping noise.  
  
Sienna held her hand up to quell her more eager guards from action, ‘ _Tuckson recognized them,_ ’ she signed and they grudgingly stayed their weapons.  
  
“What… about… ‘Third Crusade’?  
  
“I.. I might have to order that one in, I could check out the back-“  
  
Another book slammed shut with an, “Oh.”  
  
The sweet voice was growing sharper, “What was this place called again?”  
  
“Tukson’s Book Trade,” he sighed.  
  
“And you’re Tukson?”  
  
“You know I am.”  
  
That caused a moment of quiet before the sweet, sharp voice said, “We do know you, Tuckson.”  
  
“Didn’t you just call this place, home to every book under the sun?” The rougher voice laughed.  
  
“It’s just a catchphrase…” Tuckson answered, almost guiltily.  
  
“It’s false advertising!”  
  
The sweet voice spoke, her tone acidic and harsh.  
  
“You shouldn’t make a promise you can’t keep, Tukson.”  
  
The light from the outside began to dim.  
  
“I hear that you’re planning on leaving. Moving all the way to Vacuo.”  
  
Sienna saw the back windows dimming alongside the fronts and she sent Ilia a silent message.  
  
“Your brothers in the White Fang won’t be happy to hear that. And neither are we… You know who we are, don’t you?”  
  
Tuckson sighed, “You're Adam’s allies, he sent you to end me?”  
  
That drew a dual set of cruel chuckled.  
  
“Oh, kitty no, we take orders directly from the top,” the rough one said.  
  
“We don’t take orders from her pets, you see,” the sharp one snickered.  
  
“But don’t worry, he knows, just like he’s known every other time we’ve had one of you lot put down.”  
  
“It’d be hard not to when he usually did it, really seems to get off on it, but hey, he’s busy, we’re not, figured we’d deal with you ourselves.”  
  
“So, are you going to make this easy or fun?” The rough voice laughed.  
  
“Neither.”  
  
Sienna was behind them before they knew it, appearing with nary a rustle of air or a sound as Ilia kicked in the door and her High Guards raced into the chamber, ferrying Tuckson behind them.  
  
Sienna’s hand snapped towards the silver one who fire bullets from their boots, tearing their wrist from her grasp as they rocketed through the ceiling.  
  
 _‘Strong for one so young,’_  
  
She saw Ilia’s whip pass through the green, sharp tongued one and-  
  
Sienna heard the hiss of steel and lurched back in time to avoid a slash as the emerald fighter blurred back into existence, eyes wide.  
  
Her ears flickered and she roared, “Scatter!” as bullets whistled and screamed from the sky above.  
  
Sienna weaved around the white bullets, though some of her High Guard weren’t fast enough and let out shouts of pain.  
  
“Sienna!” Ilia cried out.  
  
She heard the rattle of chains.  
  
The world froze.  
  
Sienna spun.  
  
She lashed out and landed a fierce backhanded blow against the emerald fighter’s cheek and watched as they were launched through the window and crashed against a moving car with a screech of pain.  
  
“Scatter I say!”  
  
Some looked ready to protest but the sky above was howling with a bullet storm, white balls of Dust coated metal tore into the air, spreading dust and screams before they began to tear into the store.  
  
Snatching up weapons and evidence, her soldiers raced for the exits in pairs, Sienna grabbing Tuckson and snapping for Ilia to follow as she drew five Burn-Dust Daggers from her pouch and with a pulse of Aura embedded them in the floor.  
  
 _‘Burn and Wind Dust, that place will be ashes in minutes.’_  
  
An Aura strike shattered brick and Sienna flung herself into the alleyways, sparing a glance at the maelstrom above but only catching a glimpse of its creator blurring on to the streets to fetch his companion.  
  
“High Leader, should I?” Ilia asked.  
  
“No, follow me.”  
  
The streets of Vale became a blur as they cut through alleys and shot across streets faster than the eye could see, dipping into cover-cars before finally tearing off towards the docked ship.  
  
Sienna found herself in the driver's seat, steering wheel clutched tightly in her hands, claws brushing up against the leather but not tearing as she glared out through tinted windows at the streets of Vale.  
  
Tuckson and Ilia were in the back, the latter keeping watch for pursuers, and the former… His head was resting in his palms as he stared at the floor.  
  
“I am sorry Tuckson,” Sienna intoned grimly.  
  
He chuckled humorlessly, “Sorry? You saved my life, High Leader.”  
  
“No, I am sorry for failing to see this, for the people lost and for the life you built being torn asunder. If I had been faster…”  
  
“You did what you could, High Leader," Ilia intoned.  
  
“Right," Tuckson added. "All of you did, it isn’t like I expected this to be a safe gig,” Tuckson sighed, leaning back, “But at least I’m alive,” he clenched his fists, “And I am still willing to serve.”  
  
“I thank you for your commitment,” Sienna intoned.  
  
The rest of the trip was spent in silence.

* * *

The advantage to the luxury ship Sienna had chosen besides it serving as an easy cover, was the fact it could settle into the oceans as easily as the air. The Vale docks were not nearly as well managed as their airports and so it was easy enough to hire a mooring some ways out and to ride back and forth on a Dinghy.  
  
Sienna sat stiffly on a simple but elegantly woven mat within the retrofitted ‘war’ room that had once been the owners personal cabin. Ilia Tuckson and her High Guard, sat in two solid lines surrounding the map, save for a few gunners on watch duty.

  
Her cape was draped her shoulders obscuring much of her frame as well as the subtle tapping on her Scroll; though given their uniformly grim demeanor, Sienna wondered if they’d have noticed at all.  
  
Sighing, she spoke, “it has been made clear that the White Fang has been betrayed. I will allow no further debate on this topic, humans with intimate knowledge of our command structure tried to execute one of our hidden agents. They spoke of other deaths we have already confirmed being carried out by one Adam Taurus. Who in an act off supreme cowardice, sold out his people, his cause and his fellows in the face of danger and now schemes to use his human masters to gain power for himself at everyone else’s expense.”  
  
Several heads sunk low, but Sienna pushed on, a slight quake running across her frame, throat tightening and her eyes nearly stung.  
  
 _‘Kali, whatever will I tell you?’_  
  
Pushing forward Sienna growled, “I doubt the young Belladonna would stand idle while her kin are killed, meaning she was likely one of the first executed by Adam-“  
  
“He wouldn’t, he loves her!” Ilia screamed as she hurled herself onto the map to bow her head against the floor, even as the rest of the chamber stiffed and gasped.  
  
Something cracked, a pulse of Aura flooded the chamber, just as a burning inferno fills a fireplace and Sienna’s barely contained snarl shook the chamber.  
  
“Explain. Now.”  
  
Ilia looked up, eyes wide, skin turning a mottled grey as if her mind had just caught up with her own words.  
  
Fangs grit, Sienna seethed, “Were circumstances different, I ‘might’ have taken that love to be familial, or that of a mentor to a student, but I can trust nothing of Adam now, not even his sense of decency. **Now explain**.”  
  
While Ilia stumbled through her explanation one of mingled pain and filled in gaps, the burning fire in Sienna’s gut only flared, spreading across her entire frame, leaving every muscle tense and screaming for blood, for justice!  
  
A tremor of rage flickered across her frame as Ilia fell silent and Sienna spoke, her voice right and sharp.  
  
“Were you not a child yourself throughout this I would have executed you were you stood for keeping this from me. As it is, you were led astray by a twisted soul,” She cast her gaze across the rest of the chamber. “If anyone else has any secrets they wish to share of Adam and his crimes, speak now while I am merciful; before I find them out for myself and act accordingly.”  
  
There was a second, then another, and finally someone broke, then another and another.  
  
Altogether, three of her High Guard, two gunners and an escort tore off their wretched masked and bowed low, each one talking over the other.  
  
“I’m sorry High Leader I knew none of this, but have been in contact with Adam-“ Maru said.  
  
“I didn’t know of Adam & Blake, but I knew he had been working with outsiders-“ Jade growled.  
  
“He said I was the only one who could understand why we needed to sabotage the bases-“ Mason cried.  
  
Each one still after the other, looking to one another and then hanging their heads in shame.  
  
“I take it he told each of you alone that you were special, that you were the only one’s worthy of his secrets?”  
  
“… Yes, High Leader.” The each near whispered.  
  
“You will tell me everything you know.”  
  
As it happened, they knew more than Sienna had expected, but less than she’d like, but their combined intel along with Tuckson’s was impressive.  
  
Maru had been feeding Adam information on her movements and plans for months but was unaware of much else.  
  
Jade had been aware of Adam “Forging an alliance” with some powerful human faction of weapon dealers but was convinced Sienna had lacked the ‘vision’ to use it, and had thought the raids on their bases were proof these human allies necessity rather than sabotage.   
  
Mason has been the most deluded of all, convinced already Sienna and the White Fang were doomed to fail and that only by weakening her position and removing loyalist to ensure Adam’s rise could they become “Masters” of the world, or so Adam promised.  
  
‘ _Like every deluded conqueror, he lies as easily as he breathes,_ ’ Sienna thought, bitterness and bile on her tongue at how she too had been duped. Thinking him an able soldier, a potential apprentice and loyal ally committed to their cause.  
  
 _‘How wrong I was.’_  
  
Tapping her hidden Scroll, Sienna breathed in and out.  
  
“Consider your punishments delayed until further notice we have more important matters to attend to, such as the traitor and his human masters.”  
  
“High… Leader, you’re sparing them?” Niran asked, confusion evident in her voice.  
  
“For now,” Sienna answered, “I too was duped by Adam, enough to think him a fine ally and even friend,” she let out a bitter laugh, “I was even tricked into thinking he had potential to be a leader.”  
  
She saw the looks of confusion across her fellows faces, none now wearing the masks Adam has so popularized.  
  
Shaking her head, she spoke, “I kept Adam under my command for years because he was a skilled and durable soldier with a passion for combat and a dangerous Semblance. However, I had seen him as ill-suited for leadership from the early days, too ruled by his passions, too shortsighted and careless to be a competent general. But I had hoped that years under my tutelage and with the missions I handpicked for him under his belt he could perhaps become a great leader.”  
  
Ears pressing to her skull for a moment she muttered, “I was wrong, he showed no true courage, nor wit in the face of danger and his absence of morality and honor has been made clear. Adam has betrayed the White Fang to human masters, he has abused his position and rank to take advantage of those beneath him and orchestrated the deaths of his own kin in a selfish grab for power. He has betrayed us all-“  
  
She revealed her Burner Scroll transmitting on nearly all open channels on the White Fang’s pirate network, along with a file containing all the gathered evidence, from Tuckson’s words to the battle at the bookstore to the confessions of her High Guards.  
  
“And is to be treated as an enemy by the White Fang, the government of Kuo Kuana and all Faunus settlements, isolate and capture him.”  
  
With a single flick she hit send and was met moments later by familiar voices from among the upper echelons as well as chapter captains all answering, “As you say, High Leader, we are at your command!”  
  
Only for a blue flash to flicker onto her screen, ‘An emergency!’  
  
Sienna opened the channel and was met by the sound of roars and gunfire.  
  
“Traitor!” Someone howled in the background.  
  
“High Leader, he heard your message, he’s gone mad!” The caller screamed.  
  
“Sienna!” Adam’s roar was scratchy and twisted.  
  
“All forces retreat, leave him for the Grimm, he’s too much for you!” Sienna snapped.  
  
“You won’t take this from me Sienna! The White Fang is mine! To lead, to rule, it was my destin-“  
  
He was cut off by the roar of an explosion and the line went dead.  
  
The room was silent, Sienna, however, was already moving.  
  
Claws flicking across the screen she was met with a raspy, “High Leader, I-“  
  
“Alpha and Omega protocols are instituted, High Technicus, mass purge the system. Use the hidden safes to reconstitute our network and move to the Southern Settlements. I will coordinate the White Fang from channels hidden even from the traitor’s eyes.”  
  
“Purge engaged, good luck, High Leader.” The High Technicus answered robotically and then, her Scroll’s screen went blank.  
  
In a single instant, with one order, she had just purged the White Fang’s pirate network, a system designed to try and match the power granted by the CCT’s and the result of five years of tireless work, wiped clean in but a moment.  
  
Sienna pushed forward, pulling out her Burner Scroll and rising to her feet as those around her followed her lead.  
  
Shaleh and Ilia raced to her side as Sienna pressed a hidden button and unveiled boxy Signal Scrambler which she plugged the burner Scroll into.  
  
“High Leader, what secret channels?”  
  
Sienna shrugged, “I mean the official CCT channels, I just didn’t want to say that much, with good signal scrambling, a booster and the support towers we can reach the southern settlements easily enough trough official channels.”  
  
She turned to Tuckson, “Resolving this will take time, Adam’s masters reside here, and our forces are scattered across the world. We cannot let the White Fang fall, or the traitor’s human masters succeed in their scheming. Tuckson,” she specified, nodding to the man, who saluted, “Do you know a good place we can turn into a base? I do not fancy staying here given they were still hacking our systems.”  
  
He was lost in thought for a moment before nodding, “I can think of a club that would suit our needs perfectly High Leader.”  
  
“Excellent, everyone, gather anything you can, we move out in fifteen minutes. Until then, I have some calls to make.”  
  
“As you say, High Leader!”  
  
Acknowledging them with a salute, Sienna turned to her Scroll and at the sight of several Faunus of differing ages and types, she greeted, “Magistrates, Councilors and honored elders, I apologize for the disruption in Scroll services, please understand it is only temporary.”  
  


* * *

  
The club was quiet save for the background hustle and bustle of a few of his guards and watchers keeping an eye on things and the faint chatter of a few of his brokers chattering on their Scrolls in the back.  
  
All in all, it was how Hei Xiong liked his bar to run during the day as they awaited another night of eager revelers and dealers to fill out the black, silver and glass lined hall.  
  
“Uh, sir!” Zi stammered from the bar.  
  
Hei could already feel his shoulders slumping as he spun around a tight “what?” dying on his lips as he saw the source of the disruption.  
  
Not Roman, not his vicious little gremlin, not some Hunter, or even blondie, no. It was a Faunus, tall, dark skin, tiger striped tattoos, her frame mostly hidden beneath a cape as she leaned against the bar, a sardonic look on her sharp features.  
  
“Your service leaves something to be desired, should a host not welcome their guest?” She chuckled.  
  
 _‘Arrogant little cat!’_  
  
Junior waved guards to his side as he marched towards her, fists clenched as he snapped. “Listen, we don’t-“  
  
The hum of a charged Dust beam hit his ears, and it was too sharp to be one of the new guns he’d orders in.  
  
“Sir!”  
  
Hei’s gaze snapped to the rafted where four red and white bedecked Faunus in hoods stood, elegant red spears held in their grasp and pulsing with Aura.  
  
 _‘That’s just-‘_  
  
Gun clicks filled the chamber as White Fang raced in from every entrance, dragging with them bouncers and taking aim.  
  
Finally, he felt the air rush behind him and heard the faint crackling of electricity as a small Faunus rose up and held the blade tip just above his shoulder.  
  
The Faunus’s smirk was gone as she stared at him with a sort of cold regard.  
  
“We,” he was squeaking! “We, don’t, have any problems serving anyone here, in this progressive and upstanding establishment," he tried to laugh, “Do we guys!?” He asked through grit teeth, earning nervous nods and grumbled agreement from across the dance floor.  
  
“Now, ah, how can my fine establishment be of service today?”  
  
The leading Faunus stood to her full height, tossing her cape over her shoulders and revealing a black and white outfit of thick canvas and dark leathers, including a battle kilt and several pouches stuffed with, he could only assume, weapons.  
  
Unfurling her hand, the Faunus fanned out a small wad of Lien before him and snapped it back into one pile just as fast before slipping it into his pocket.  
  
“I will be commandeering your network and base of operations until further notice,” she said coolly, nearly professionally, as though discussing renting it out for a function with someone she had no interest in feigning camaraderie with.  
  
“You will be compensated and treated fairly,” she added with a note of annoyance, “And should things go as planned return to business as usual within a few weeks.”  
  
Patting the wad in his breast pocket, Hei nodded, a weak grin spreading on his lips, “Well we certainly wouldn’t want to offend our new guests, so please, consider our home, your home… But can I ask-“  
  
“Your club will open at night as usual, but I will have observers present,” she cut in, “And, I assume as an information broker with connections along the web as far as Mistral.”  
  
 _‘Shit she knows about the Spiders and the twins!’_ He nodded, swallowing back his dread.   
  
Her gaze was cold, “I assume that you have a good grasp of history, correct?”  
  
Swallowing, Hei nodded, “Yeah the breaking of the Trident Cartel and the nail driven into the Bloody Palm, I think everyone knows the stories.”  
  
A low chuckle echoed across the club, even as their leader remained cool and composed, nodding in assent.  
  
Without a word, each of the White Fang grunts lowered their weapons and the spear users dropped down and knelt before her.  
  
Tightening his tie, an old tic he’d never broken, Hei cut in, “Is this about Roman and your guys?”  
  
Given the sudden wave of contemptible glares, Hei suddenly doubted it.  
  
“In a sense,” their leader offered, “You could say we’ve come here to set right what they put wrong, by whatever means necessary.”

* * *

Emerald’s chest was heaving, her shoulder burned and with every too heavy step it sent a shock through her bones that rattled and stung!  
  
“Will you chill out,” Mercury grumbled as he ran at a leisurely pace at her side.  
  
“No, I will not, we revealed ourselves, this changes everything!”  
  
“Yeah but at least we have information for her, that’s good right?”  
  
 _‘For you maybe,’_ Emerald thought.  
  
“I just hope it’s enough…”  
  
Kicking off from roof, Emerald and Mercury hit the ground running and ducked in through the half open roller door into the barely lit, overstuffed warehouse.  
  
The door slammed shut behind them and Mercury ground to a halt, lashing out with a sharp kick that Roman leaned away from with deliberate ease, only losing the tip of his cigar.  
  
“Oh, it’s just you,” Mercury spat.  
  
“Well, well, aren’t you kids jumpy?” Roman preened, strutting towards them, cane in hand and ready to defend at any moment.  
  
“We don’t have time for you, where’s Cinder?” Emerald demanded.  
  
“Oh, I think you troublemakers will have to make time for me,” The hireling said with an aggrandizing smirk that only grew nastier as he watched them draw back. Gesturing lazily, he added, “The boss wants us up stairs~”  
  
“Don’t sound so chipper, this is your fault after all,” Mercury ground out.  
  
“Is it now?” Roman shoved passed them with a flourish, arms wide as though leading a parade towards the lift at the back of the warehouse.  
  
Emerald swallowed as she felt Cinder’s eyes land on her from on high, burning like magma and the heart of a fire as they took their spots and rose too meet her.  
  
“Cinder I-“  
  
Cinder’s hand unfurled and a wave of heat washed over them like a desert’s scream before she turned and marched towards the office.  
  
Emerald barely hid a yelp as when the door slammed shut behind her.  
  
Cinder folded her arms in a regal posture as she leaned against the bare desk, eyes drifting over each one of them slowly.  
  
“What, happened?”  
  
“Well we were trying to clean up-  
  
“Cinder I wanted-“  
  
“Quiet,” Cinder ordered, a crackling hiss burning in the back of her throat.  
  
Roman was practically giddy, nearly bobbing up and down in place as he throttled his cane.  
  
“I’m sorry we-“  
  
Cinder’s hand encircled Emeralds wounded shoulder, a faint, gentle stroking motion soothing the pain-  
  
Emerald’s teeth slammed together, her knees creaked as Cinder dug in her nails, grasping tighter and tighter until Emerald was gasping for breath, Mercury refused to watch, even Roman looked away.  
  
“I did not ask for excuses or justification, I demanded an explanation, now. Speak.”  
  
“We went to kill Tuckson but- Aaah!”  
  
Cinder’s gaze snapped to Mercury who quickly finished, “But some other White Fang were there, not ours, I think Emerald recognized them.”  
  
Cinder’s grip eased up, slowly, before tracing up, over her shoulder and across her chin, Emerald desperately leaning into the touch as she hastily whispered, “It was Sienna Khan, her High Guard and someone from their Stealth Corp.”  
  
Cinder’s touch vanished as she turned away, marching across the room to go and stand at the office windows, looking down at the White Fang packing Dust below.  
  
Emerald ran a hand along her stinging arm and watched Cinder intently as the older woman clasped her hands behind her back, seemingly gently, but Emerald could sense the telltale signs of rage, and the room was growing oppressively hot.  
  
“I specifically told the two of you to stay out of trouble.”  
  
“We just thought-“  
  
“Don’t think, obey,” Cinder repeated like a mantra, before looking over her shoulder at a too smug Roman whose expression wavered into something grouchier. “Why, wasn’t this taken care of Roman?”  
  
Snorting, the man waved wildly towards the window, “Maybe because I’ve been busy carrying this entire operation on my back with only a pack of mutts to help me. Containment wasn’t even my main duty.”  
  
“Are you making excuses?” Cinder turned to stare him down in full, withering the man.  
  
“I’m-” he sucked in a breath, “I’m explaining what went wrong. Tuckson was isolated and planning to book it, he didn’t reach out to this Khan maniac, she found him.”  
  
“Are you saying this is my fault?” Cinder asked, deceptively calm even as it sounded like ice was crackling in the air.  
  
“Not at all, but maybe your network, or perhaps bull boy?” He shrugged, “Whatever the case is, this came from outside of Vale.”  
  
“It would not have gotten out of hand if you had taken care of it sooner,” Cinder noted.  
  
Emerald had no idea why Roman was even still breathing when she’d been hurt just for trying to help and he’d failed, her gaze fell to the floor, or it tried to, but Cinder caught her gaze and shook her head. Emerald had to watch this.  
  
“I’ve been too busy stealing every scrap of Dust in the city to clean up the bull’s messes,” Roman snipped, only to draw back when Cinder approached him.  
  
“Not accepting responsibility, Roman?” Cinder asked, almost teasingly as she cupped his cheek and Roman tried with all his might to not jerk away even as he shook, knowing that attempts to escape always made it worse.  
  
Swallowing, he whispered, “I’ve been keeping up my end of the bargain. The city's scared, Dust is low,” he cringed, “You have enough to outfit a small army.”  
  
Cinder hummed, eyes aglow as the scent of cooking skin tainted the chamber before she finally pulled her hand away, a red hand print slowly fading on Roman’s face, his cane crushed in his grasp.  
  
Cinder moved with a deliberate, elegant ease, “Fortunately for you, I don’t need an army, but I am planning a war.” Her head lolled to the side, nearly playfully, “Yes, I think we can use this, one way or the other.”  
  
Waving her hand, she ordered, “Emerald, Roman, go down and help finish packing, I want us out of town by evening, Mercury, I have a job for you and our little friend.”  
  
Mercury preened, as she and Roman shuffled out the door; Emerald wanted to scream.  
  
 _‘Cinder, please let me fix this!’_  
  
Cinder turned her back on them, Scroll already in hand as she got to work and disappeared out of sight, not casting a single glance back as she disappeared from sight and Emerald took her place among the dregs.

* * *

Sienna huffed as she looked upon the screen, _'Three Atlesian Battleships! What does that despot plan, to annex Vale?’_  
  
Her claws flexed and cut through the air as Sienna turned her gaze towards the distant window, the rumbling of the club echoing so loudly she might as well have been at the bar for all the good the walls did.  
  
 _'I will need to mobilize my forces in the outer territories and move them in secretly to avoid detection at this rate.’_  
  
But first she must secure the outer territories against any reprisal. Before she led her people into danger, she must come to understand her foe. One did not lead a paramilitary organization against the wealthiest criminals and most powerful governments of the world for five years without learning the importance of good intel.  
  
' _A fact I have been rather bluntly reminded of at that,_ ’ she thought bitterly.  
  
Glancing across the table in the dimly lit chamber, she could see two of her gunners who weren’t on watch muttering into their head pieces, helping coordinate the remaining troop movements and information dissemination. The last was intently staring at their Scroll, flicking through cameras one, after the other.  
  
Sienna glanced at her own Scroll and her eyes sealed shut.  
  
She still hadn’t contacted Kali and Ghira… A tremor ran across her hand as she reached for her Scroll when Niran gasped.  
  
“The pressure sensors are going off, but I can’t see anyone!”  
  
Sienna was at his side of the table in an instant, eyes flickering across the flashing sensors as they detected two sets of foot steps, one especially heavy and the other incredibly light.  
  
 _'Was I correct, does she have some form of invisibility Semblance, maybe folding light?’_  
  
Her question was answered when the silver warrior’s voice just barely touched her ears.  
  
“Ugh, looks like they bugged out, you wanna call this one in?”  
  
The air around them crumbled like breaking glass that fell silently to the floor, fading before it could break further revealing the tall silver haired fighter and a small woman with chocolate brown hair, with pink and white accents.  
  
 _'She must be Neo_ ,’ Sienna muses.  
  
'Neo’ pointed to her lips and rolled her eyes at the taller figure who laughed and pulled out his Scroll, “Yeah sure, be like that and leave all the hard stuff to me, why don’t cha?”  
  
Neo simply twirled her umbrella, taking in the room with a lazy posture but sharp gaze as her partner dialed and near instantly cringed at what was said on the other side.  
  
“Yeah you got it in one, they scarpered like rats, want me blow the place to kingdom come as a warning?” he asked excitedly, only to frown.  
  
“Atlas? They’re here early, will that-, Right, right, don’t think, Obey; so do you want this place- No? OK then, guess I’ll-” the Scroll flashed and cut out and the assassin shrugged, “It's so nice to feel appreciated, isn’t it?”  
  
Neo just arched her brow at him even as he turned his back on her and strode out, “Come on, let’s go, we gotta get to know our new digs!”  
  
Neo turn back, winked near perfectly at the camera and then shattered into glass.  
  
“Well now, isn’t that interesting,” Sienna hummed in thought.  
  
“High Leader, should I set off the explosives?” Niram asked, finger hovering over the switch.  
  
Shaking her head, “No, if they aren’t gone already they would still be strong enough to anticipate and survive the blast, besides, they have given us a wealth of information, more than they realize with what was said, left unsaid, and that little display of power…”  
  
Sienna drew up to her full height, fists clenched in delayed fury, _'You will all pay for your crimes. I promise that!’_


	2. Counter Attack!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sienna and her White Fang race to save the scattered forces of the Vale chapter, while grappling with new Atlesian tech and a foe they cannot find.
> 
> Meanwhile, powers both great and small grapple with the waves caused by this shadow conflict as they try to find the best path forward.

“No traps detected. External communications cut off, and the area is secured. Move in?”

Ilia’s increasingly familiar voice rattled around in Sienna’s ear via a speaker clip as the stealth expert worked her mission halfway across the city.

“Permission granted,” Sienna answered from her position atop a warehouse.

Even as she monitored half a dozen other retrieval missions, Sienna could not shirk off on playing an active role, hence her overseeing a bomb defusal by a gas mask bearing technician held aloft by Cerberus’s whip.

‘ _ If it goes off, I can get her out, _ ’ Sienna promised herself, as chatter continued to fill her ears from across Vale and its external territories as her agents did their work. 

* * *

Sienna’s voice was tight and rough as always when the orders came through to Ilia.

“Permission granted.”

Nodding to no one but herself, Ilia slipped in through the window of the informant’s home as one of her kin casually flicked open the already picked lock.

The house's sole occupant was aware of their presence instantly, bright brown curls and bronze skin with blue eyes, and a cow's tail that was all too easy to hide laid bare only in the privacy of her own home.

“I didn’t-” She gasped, staggering backs towards her room. “I didn’t say anything! I promise!”

“Calm, calm, sister, please,” Ilia’s companion whispered, as he held his position at the door, looking embarrassed and somewhat naked while bereft of his High Guard uniform.

“The traitorous sickness is being burnt out,” Ilia added quickly, “You’re safe now.”

“Then… But the High Leader…”

“Didn’t know,” Ilia assured, even as her own gut churned with guilt at her own longstanding silence.

“We were all taken by surprise,” Mason offered, cringing at his minor deception, having been one of Adam’s willing dupes.

“She… She didn’t? But my children are they-”

Ilia flashed her a Scroll with a live-stream of her twins at school, “Safe and sound ma’am.”

The spy practically crumpled to the floor, hands clutched to her chest, “Oh Ancestors, thank you…”

Ilia awkwardly patted the informant's back as Mason scratched the back of his scaled head. “We do have a request though, ma’am,” he added awkwardly.

“A request?”

“We need any information you’ve given them and want to debrief you. We will also have to provide protection at least for a few weeks while we finish removing Adam and his human masters from the face of the continent.” 

“Face of the planet more like,” Mason hissed.

“But my kids have school. I’ve got work. The whole point of the White Fang was that humans couldn’t just send us running into the burrows anymore.”

“It's temporary, we swear,” Ilia promised.

The informant's response was simply a nod of her head, “How long will I be gone? SDC employees don’t get much holiday at my level.”

Both of them cringed, “We don’t know,” Mason admitted, “We’ve been arranging for others to fill in, acting as relatives or friends in places like diners and self-run stores…”

“Your situation is unique,” Ilia offered, “I’m sure we can contact the High Leader and work something out, for now, can you just walk us through what files and info you have?”

The woman nodded, muttering, “Sure, I can do that much; say what you will about those bastards, they had good techies,” as Ilia helped her to her feet she continued. “They had us burn and wipe our records, but I’ve memorized the most important things.”

“We appreciate any help you can provide us, thank you,”

And they really did need the help.

* * *

The RWBY dorm room was tense and anxious as Blake spoke, her voice harsh and hasty.

“And we may never be ready! Our enemies aren’t just going to sit around and wait for graduation day. They’re out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it’s coming! Whether we’re ready or not!”

Ruby raised her hand a manic grin on her lips, “Okay, all in favor of becoming the youngest Huntresses to single-handedly take down a corrupt organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale… say aye.

Pumping her fists in the air Yang grinned and pointed at Blake in support, “Yes! I love it when you’re feisty!”

Seeing she was outnumbered, Weiss simply rolled her eyes, “Well, I suppose it could be fun.”

Ruby flapped wildly, “None of you said aye!”

Smiling at her leader’s antics, Blake clenched her fists to quell the subtle shaking, “Alright then, we’re in this together!”

“Let’s hatch a plan!”

“Yeah!”

Then Ruby froze and let out a choked gasp, “I left my board game at the library!” before bursting out the door.

“We’re doomed, “Weiss sighed as her team leader vanished down the hallway, totally uninterrupted.   


* * *

“Did the bomb go off?” Ceto asked from one of the Scrolls, as Sienna marched around the advanced circular projector laid out on table, background chatter listened to with half an ear as she took stock.

“No, we secured the explosive and scoured the area, but they’d cleared everything else out, and until we dispense with this threat…” She let the sentence hang.

“We can’t use it for ourselves,” Ceto finished with a humor-less hiss.

“Rebuilding our operations in Sanus won’t happen in a week, but we can’t move forward until we’ve cleaned up around our feet,” Sienna said. Her claws flicked through half a dozen records that were on display and she sent them flying off to turn her attention to the projected map of Sanus’s coastal mountains and the towns resting upon them.

‘ _ We’ve reclaimed the outer settlements with minimal casualties,’ _ Sienna’s chest tightened at that thought. ‘ _ They were our people!’ _ She’d sworn to protect and lead them only to be ignorant until it was too late.

Her foes had evacuated with speed, but also ruthless and bloody  efficiency  that it meant those killed had likely been deemed the most dangerous to their work. 

‘ _ Still, if they could have killed all of our agents they would have, but we’ve saved too many and learnt too much for all them to have been deemed irrelevant. This means we still have them on the defensive. We just have to secure our people and then burn this sickness out before it can spread again _ .’ Her claws dug into her palms, ‘ _ Justice will be done, I promise. _ ’

There was a knock at the door and Sienna huffed, “Enter,” to the familiar steps of Ilia and Mason.

They saluted and offered quick bows before Mason spoke.

“We have secured the last agent in coastal town of Sun-Shire, all the safe houses have been swept and our new docking areas secured.”

“Good work both of you, and to those under your command,” Sienna said.

“Thank you, High Leader.”

Ilia clutched a data drive in her hand and Sienna arched a brow, motioning for her to speak even as she continued her stride around the map, quickly marking off Sun-Shire and seeing the simulated houses flashing in the White Fang’s red and whites.

“This is all the information we’ve managed to gather on our enemy from interviews, documents, and records so far, High Leader. It seems they practiced rather advanced information compartmentalization, but we’ve been at this for years, and our agents have good memories.”

“That will be useful, thank you Ilia,” Sienna offered more gently as she took the drive and passed it off to a technician.

Ilia’s colors flickered and she whispered, “Is it safe to use it though, High Leader?”

Sienna tapped the holo-map and the image of an aged Faunus with grey hair and a mechanized mask flickered onto the screen.

“Our High Technicus is making excellent progress in re-establishing our network and cloaking our communications. We’re still operating on a skeletal framework in that regard, but they did successfully purge the virus. They even managed to capture its remnants on an isolated drive and have their programmers studying it. Apparently, it has some familiar hallmarks to certain Atlesian codes of some notoriety.”

All eyes flickered towards the sealed window and the battleships hanging over head.

“Would Adam really betray us to Atlas though?” Ilia asked, voice tight.

“Maybe, though it strikes me as more likely these figures are not openly touting their affiliations if they are Atlesian at all. We don’t know enough to begin eliminating possible leads or presuming the guilty party, not yet,” she growled. Flicking her wrist and conjuring up the image of Ironwood’s flagship and its two support battleships arriving at Beacon.

“Still, there is a distinct possibility it was Atlas. It would certainly be their MO, and oh so convenient that Ironwood would bring a portion of his fleet to Vale just in time for Adam to start a bloodbath.”

Shaking it off, Sienna turned back to Ilia and Mason, “Whatever the case, anything brought to us on drives is being kept on an isolated network and we’re purging our systems frequently.”

Which was a damned pain, but necessary; still Sienna hadn’t had to go through so many paper records since the revolution.

Ilia rocked on her feet nervously, and Sienna arched her brow at the young Faunus who gulped.

“Speak your mind, Amitola.”

“Ah, sorry High Leader, it’s just, some of our informants who aren’t running fronts are wary of leaving for debriefing and security.”

“Some got mighty pissed too… Or suspicious,” Mason grimaced.

“It is fair, given what they have been through,” Sienna cut in, making several heads hang low, “I say that not to make you suffer but to remind you of the importance of our work and the cost to our actions or inaction, my own included.”

Waving at Ilia she added, “Provide me a list of these agents and we’ll see about providing them with covert security details.”

That drew a smile from Ilia who saluted, “I shall draw it up soon, High Leader!” 

Both agents stood at attention, and spoke as one, “Is there any other way we may be of service?”

“Let me check,” Sienna hummed, dialing up another of her agents, “Chief Reconnoiter, what do you have to report?”

A rough, and usually sardonic voice responded, sounding more tired than usual. “Well, High Leader it’s… not all bad news.”

“Speak plainly, Maize.” 

“Sorry,” they answered, prosthetic lizard tail making clanking and whirring sounds in the background as they lazily slapped it against cement.

“It’s more or less as you predicted, High Leader. They scarpered.” The screen flashed to reveal cement with Adam’s rose insignia spay painted onto it. “Seems like his some of his followers have an artistic bent, or they were leaving coded messages.”

“Make a catalog and send them to me with their locations. I can have it sent to our code-breakers just in case.”

“Sure thing.” They then sighed, “Besides that… Well, we’ve found evidence of fights and a decent number of bodies but not as many as you’d expect meaning either more were traitors than we hoped, or more escaped than expected after your announcement. I’ve got my scouts combing the ruins now, looking for survivors and tracks.”

“I’ll send you reinforcements; Ilia, Mason, rally-” she flicked through a collection of soldiers strong or swift enough to be useful and projected it into the air, “these soldiers, a cargo ship and get moving.”

“As you say, High Leader,” They answered, memorizing the names and racing out the door.

“Thank you, we could really use the help out here, even if it’s from the Shadow Fangs,” Maize grumbled.

“Thank you for your service. Do you have anything else to report?” She could see the blonde shrugging as they turned their Scroll around to show off the ruined city.

“Not much, there was an underground settlement being reclaimed. It’s a real shame. Mountain Glenn could have made a perfect base, or even a settlement one day.”

“Not yet, too many traps and with our enemy still out there, too exposed.”

“I know. It sucks,” they hissed, tail thumping against the floor, before gasping, “Oh right! One of my aerial scouts said they found some robots shambling about in the woods— didn’t look to be of Atlas make either.”

“Hm, keep your scouts alert, but don’t pursue this avenue for now. We can use some ships to fly by the area later, once we secure our position in the cities and towns.”

“As you say, High Leader, we’ll continue our search. Chief Reconnoiter, out!”

“Good hunting,” Sienna answered with a salute.

Just as Sienna made to move onto another task, one of her technicians, Lazu, spoke up with a nervous lilt to his voice. 

“Uh, High Leader, I think we have something that would interest you.”

Pushing off from the map projector in the center of the room, Sienna strode to the corner reserved for the squad of technicians working on their isolated systems.

“What do you have for me?” She asked, hand on the back of his chair as her gaze flicked across the screen to see flight paths and schedules.

“Well, it's thanks to some of the information Ilia just brought in. You see,” he stumbled, taping at the screen and bringing up spreadsheets. “We’ve been seeing chatter, getting hints, and even reports from agents in Atlas about some sort of project being tied to the new Atlesian Knights they’ve been planning to roll out.”

“And you think you know what that is?” Sienna asked, blood warming at the thought even as she grew more tense.

“I think so. You see, there’s a shipment, a large one, following a little used path as if they’re trying to avoid attention or detection.”

“Unusual for Atlas,” Sienna murmured.

“We thought so too. And look, they’re scheduled for SDC warehouses on the outer towns, to refuel and inspect the stock, and the stock is-”

“The Atlesian Paladin?”

“Exactly, High Leader,” Lazu gulped as he added, “twenty of them.”

Lazu flicked a switch, and the projectors on his scroll revealed a gargantuan mass of metal and limbs that spun in place, flicking through different modes as it went, showing off two arm-mounted energy cannons combined with double-barreled machine guns and rear-mounted rocket launchers. Laser targeting systems flicked on and off and wheels spun at the base of thick legs as a reinforced cockpit rested in the center to reveal an empty seat and screens projectors on the inside.

“High Leader… This looks bad,” Lazu murmured.

‘ _ Dangerous… But rather rough for Atlas. I would expect more armor on them _ .’

Pushing herself up, she clapped the technician on the back, “Good work, all of you, de-compile everything you can about this, I want a report on everything you can find out about this machine ready within an hour.”

“As you say, High Leader!”

Sienna returned to her map display and revealed Ironwood’s fleet. Her golden eyes zeroed in on the bastard’s flagship.

_ ‘What are you planning, tyrant?’ _

And what’s more.

How could she stop him?

* * *

Sienna was deep in thought within the chambers she’d reserved for herself in the club. Before her was the map projectors, showing the visages of her seconds in command of the White Fang.

The bald head of her War Leader, the masked face of the High Technicus as well as both Chief Reconnoiter and Ceto, leader of the Shadow Fangs and her personal Spy Overseer. There were no plans yet to fill Adam’s position as the ‘face’ of the White Fang’s ‘champion’ class of Aura users meant to clash against Atlas’s Specialists.

“We need to blast that ship from the sky, scavenge the factory locations from its records, and wipe it from Remnant before they let loose an army of Paladins on Vale. Standard forces can’t defend our streets against that kind of firepower. If they take Vale, how long before they march on our settlements!?” Her War Leader was fiery as ever.

“I’d rather we claim these Paladins for ourselves. Atlas will always have more factories. It'd be best if we learnt how to sabotage them.” The High Technicus' voice was muted and mechanical through their mask.

“You’re both cringing away from Atlas’s newest tinker toys. That's embarrassing; we deal with the Spider Bots well enough. Let me take the ship, and I’ll assess how much of a threat they are personally. I want to try taking a bite out of one.” Maize snapped their teeth eagerly at the thought.

“The Spider Droids are durable and have a powerful linear cannon, but they are manageable, known threats, barely on par with a Manticore; these Paladins are more akin to fighting a Hunter," her War Leader countered.

“I’d not praise them too highly, Rex; a true master of Aura could dispense with such things easily.”

It was the first time Ceto had spoken up since the meeting had begun.

“I respect you Ceto, but you’re not thinking about this from a soldier’s perspective, but as an elite warrior and spy.”

They hissed, “I’ve more experience in war than anyone here-“

“An older war, this is new technology, we’d be wise not to underestimate it.” the High Technicus rasped.

“Ceto and I fight out in the wilds, far from the public's judgement and in the heart of their fortresses. We know full well what our enemies can do.” Maize added, Dust infused, prosthetic tail thumping in irritation.

Sienna did not sink into her chair, nor bury herself in her cape; she did not pinch her brow, or sigh and let her eyes sink low, even though she it was all she wanted to do right now, as her mind swirled and whirled, circling the drain.

‘ _ We cannot ignore this but it could be a trap laid by the enemy or Atlas may be bracing for it and over prepared or use it as a pretense to clamp down on Faunus in Vale. _ ’ 

She knew the traitor and his masters were still out there, and it almost seemed convenient that such information would find its way to her just at the right time.

_ ‘The people are angry; whatever joy was felt from my decisive action has turned to bitterness now that they know I was manipulated.’ _

She needed to do more than secure old territory. She needed to be seen, to take action and garner a victory if she wanted to avoid a vote of no confidence.

‘ _ But even then, how do I act? Our enemy slinks in the shadows and may be guiding us to their masters or even letting their own enemies do us in _ .’

At first, she had assumed them Atlesian saboteurs, but the testimony of rescued soldiers telling rumors of pacified Grimm and plots so mad they sounded too absurd for even Atlas to justify left her uncertain.

‘ _ Meanwhile _ ,’ she tapped the map displayed before her and watched little ‘A’ symbols drifting across Vale.

‘ _ Ironwood is already sending his soldiers out, disguised or under cover of dark for plausible deniability but our watchers' eyes and our spies are too perceptive to be fooled.’ _

It felt as though the world was balancing on a knife’s edge. It was hard to imagine that only a week ago things had been infinitely worse for them.

‘ _ But that doesn’t mean the situation can’t shift against us again. We need to take control of the narrative _ …’

Sighing, Sienna held up her hand and was met with unanimous calls of “High Leader” spoken with more reverence and respect than she felt was owed at this moment.

Steeling herself as a plan fell into place in her mind, Sienna spoke, rough voice steady and sure as always.

“Whether this is merely a propaganda campaign or a plan to occupy Vale, we are in agreement: this shipment must be stopped. I feel all sides have presented fair arguments for their beliefs, but we cannot truly assess this weapon until we have denied it to Atlas and secured it for ourselves.”

She looked to see any objections, but none spoke.

“With that in mind, I shall be leading a mission to deal with this matter personally,” she gestured to the High Technicus. “I will need four cargo ships, three with open decks; several engineers to inspect for any tracking equipment; an assortment of sabotage and docking equipment; and two three-passenger speeders. I shall handle the rest of the details from here.” 

“High Leader, can such a small force deal with this mission?” Ceto asked.

“Atlas wouldn’t leave such stock unguarded,” Rex added.

“Leave everything to me, my friends, and I shall gift each of you what you desire.”

* * *

The normally deep, gnarled, and ancient woods South of Vale were anything but that near the jagged coast. They obviously saw some degree of logging, burnings, and use despite the presence of Grimm. 

This meant it was a simple matter for Sienna’s Speeders to make haste through the woods, their presence still easily concealed by the more ancient oaks and elms that were protected to reduce flood risks.

The Speeders Sienna had commandeered resembled a mix between a surfboard and a small sailing skiff. They followed the Hydrofoil design, with a strangle curved wing at the base, granting an impressive speed increase in water and in the air, even before Dust was added to the occasion, or Aura for that matter.

They stood in stark contrast to the transport vessel they were raiding. It was usually used to move construction equipment. It was wide and boxy, looking like several cuboid trucks fused together with a small, curved cockpit for the pilots.

‘ _ But it’s an Atlesian vessel. Few others can afford those advanced shields _ ,’ she thought, squinting as she eyed the generator resting at the back of the ship, just above the reinforced unloading door.

The wind washed over her as she stood at the helm of her vessel. Ilia crouched down at the rear and Maize had control of the sail. The sandy blonde lizard Faunus hooted in joy.

“High Leader, we have them in our sights, and the gunners and disruptors are all in place!”

Unfurling an ice, lightning and burn set of throwing knives, Sienna snarled with pride, “Then we begin the operation. Technicians, isolate our prey! Sailors, full speed ahead!”

“As you say, High Leader!”

The howl of the wind became a screaming hiss as the ship's full speed was reached in a matter of seconds, bursting out of the forests. The vessel piloted by three of her High Guard roared just behind them.

“Follow our lead!” she bellowed, sliding back and taking a guiding hand on the vessel’s controls.

Over the hacked radio she heard the pilots chattering.

“We got bogies incoming at high speed!”

“Call it in-“

“Our signals jammed! I lost sight of them!”

“Arm the defenses! They’re intercepting our signal!”

“Shit! It’s the White Fang!”

Twin high-powered laser turrets unveiled themselves at the roof and base of the ship, while smaller guns were armed along the sides.

_‘Their cannons are dangerous; one shot and most ships will be shrapnel_!’

The shooters quickly zeroed in on their position, and they flooded the ship with their Aura, empowering the Dust as she called on her Semblance and grasped the controls. She hefted them up and then ducked beneath the first shots, as they blazed past either side of the White Fang insignia marked sails.

The turrets let loose another wave, and Sienna sent them into a sharp spiral, swirling around the blasts in a flash.

“The others got clipped, but they’re still operational!”

“We’re close. Stand fast and take control!”

Sienna felt Maize grasp the controls, and she raced forward as two more shots tore through the air.

She drew back her ice dagger and let it loose with a roar.

A mere instant later the lightning dagger followed, and finally the Burn dagger.

The ice struck the shield generators and for a brief moment its sheer body, bursting out from nothing, disrupted and confused the shields functions even as the energy quickly tried to repel and finally rip through the ice.

But the disruption was enough to let her lightning dagger’s strike pierce through and unleash its charge across the generator, screeching across the steel and fraying the signals.

Her Burn dagger struck.

An explosion roared to life, unleashing a plume of smoke and shrapnel into the air as it carved a crater into the generators frame and the blue aura faded from the vessel.

“Launch!”

The speeder thrummed and a steel cable with a gnarled metal head ripped through the air and into the transports, tearing through the metal and unleashed a load of ice dust that froze it into place.

“Full speed!”

Maize cheered and their fuel reserve half vanished in an instant, the force of the wind nearly rocketing Ilia from her perch before Sienna grabbed her as their back up made the same shot on the other side of the entryway and they reeled themselves in.

The turrets were taking their time to aim. If they missed their chance now, it was over.

Sienna wouldn’t give them the chance. 

Cerberus’s Whip in hand, she flooded the chain with her crimson red Aura. Sharp and strong like steel, it burned as she launched herself from the speeder before they came in to land, and with a roar that shook the air, she swung.

A mighty pulse of Aura shot through her arm and across the whip, unleashing a slim, blisteringly intense blade of Aura upon the turret.

Before it could even fire, the Aura blade cut through the base and into the ships hull, severing the fuel lines and sending the protective shell screaming into the wind. The shooter had barely been spared and hit the recall button the moment Sienna touched down with a violent thud. She watched as the turret sealed itself beneath the hull, a metal wall closing shut over it.

“You know what to do!” Sienna called as Maize and Ilia leapt from their speeder while her High Guards pressed against the unloading bay door, spears already shining red as they waited for their moment.

“Yes, High Leader!”

Ilia armed a bulky, reinforced dual grenade while Maize slammed their metal tail through the hull, the Dust inside it flashing as lightning sparked and flooded the hull with light.

Sienna raced to the other side of the hull and in three sharp, aura charged slashes, had torn through the roof to the shouts of those inside.

Ilia hurled the grenade into the hull and the ship thrummed as it unleashed the first wave of its payload, a painful sound wave so forceful it could knock a lesser soul off their feat and left the ears ringing!

Then, the gas came: blistering red smoke, scented with chili.

Her High Guard unleashed their spears on the door.

Sienna, Ilia, and Maize hurled themselves into the hull, just as the crew unsealed the vents to let out the smoke and were greeted by grey steel akin to that of a heavy metal warehouse.

The lights were dim even as the smoke grenade's luster faded.

“They’re trying to rip open the doors!”

Paladins lined the walls, locked into boxes in a dormant state.

“They’re inside!”

Two dozen average soldiers and Sienna spied one brown haired, buzz cut bearing Specialist barking orders at the back, armed with a simple, heavy duty rifle and an electric blade.

“Focus fire!”

She smirked.

“Scatter.”

Ilia leapt into the holding cells of the Paladins and blended into the grey steel in a blur.

Maize hooted as they raced forward, prosthetic tail unveiling a spike and thrumming with Aura as they ducked low and lashed it out like a whip, unleashing a heavy, battering blade of air.

Sienna hurled herself backwards, denting the steel floor as she leapt and spinning Cerberus’s Whip beneath her as she went, guarding Maize from the wave of bullets even as they began to focus on her instead of the Scout Master.

Sienna flexed and coiled like a snake, spiraling around a high-powered rifle shot and ducking below several more waves of bullets before sweeping two soldiers off of their feet with a single slash.

A rough triangle was burnt into the steel hull by her elites and the wind howled as it sucked the ruined metal into the air. Her High Guard raced inside as Ilia made to cover Maize’s back by vaulting onto a charging guard's head and taking up a defensive stance.

Sienna charged for the head of the ship, whip lashing streams of bullets out of the air as her High Guard tore their way in, unleashing bolts of focused Burn Dust in superheated bolts at the gathering soldiers.

The world stilled as bullets from the Specialist's gun, surging with lightning charged towards her. Sienna swerved around them to his surprise.

She went into a sharp spin and unleashed the three daggers at the end of her whip.

One unleashed an explosion that sent the soldiers on the left howling into the air.

The second was a lightning charge and the soldiers were left stunned, shocked, and struck. Their weapons cartridges ignited as they were brought to their knees.

The last however was Freeze Dust, and the Specialist casually vaulted over it, never breaking from his firing position as Sienna weaved around his shots, coiling her whip around her arm as she zeroed in on him.

He kicked off the wall and in a blur land on her right, maintaining fire, even as he reached for his blade.

Sienna didn’t give him the chance, unfurling the hidden foot of steel she snatched up his guns barrel and watched as he let it go with ease.

Sienna’s eyes widened as he drew his sword in a flash, making to strike the gun and her via the lightning charge.

Too bad for his trick she was faster and snatched the weapon just out of reach of his slash, leaving only a blade of crackling electricity to explode out the ships roof.

She flicked the gun and the last of her chain into her grasp and shot to his left.

He lashed out with another crackling swing Sienna barely leapt over before delivering a sharp strike to his temple with her metal-wrapped knuckles, making him grunt.

He took another swing which Sienna ducked below, before driving her claws into his liver.

He surged backwards, gagging even as he unleashed a lightning slash. Sienna knew it would hit her soldiers if she didn’t stop it.

Her arms crossed over one another on instinct, and she flooded her arms with Aura, encompassing them and flattening it out into a shield that absorbed the blow.

Using her brief pause, the Specialist charged her, sword raised.

Sienna unleashed a quick pulse of Aura and thrust his rifle back at him at blurring speed.

He slashed through it and a flash of red flooded the air as the Burn Dust was set off by the lightning, but it did not slow his charge.

But Sienna had used the flash to fall into a new stance and unfurl just a scrap of her whip.

She blurred forward and struck the specialist right between the eyes and used her superior height to angle herself around his retaliatory swing in a sharp spin that let her snag his ankle up on Cerberus’s Whip.

He gasped as she yanked him to the floor, and she did not wait for the shock to pass as she pulled him into the air and into a single, violent, spin that left the wind howling as she let him and her weapon loose, leaving them to fly right into the pilot’s den with a crash of shattered steel and surprised shouts as he burst through the door and crashed against the command console, crumpling the metal, the screens, the controls, everything.

Sienna burst into the cockpit and kicked her weapon's handle into the air. She blurred around the twin pilots' attempts to strike her, sweeping one out with a quick kick and crashing her fist into the others throat.

The Specialist's Aura crackled as he surged up. “Fucking savage!” he snarled, exploding forward.

Sienna lazily weaved around him, yanking back on the chain still wrapped around his ankle and sending him to the floor with a shout before driving her boot into the back of his head, denting the steel and finally shattering his Aura.

‘ _All the strength in the world is meaningless if you can’t strike precisely_ ,’ she mused, already racing to join her comrades.

The rest of the battle was brief.

One pilot made an attempt to start up a paladin, but Ilia quickly drove her whip-sword into the cockpit and shocked them into unconsciousness.

“Damn, I wanted to try one of those,” Maize grunted, as they tossed back a strip of the loading bay door and began chewing, their Semblance making quick work of the metal.

“You’ll get your chance,” Sienna muttered, clapping Ilia on the shoulder and giving her a small, approving grin before returning to business at hand.

“The soldiers are down, the ship is careening slowly off course, and our retrieval ops are pulling in-“

“We’re here, High Leader!” A voice piped up from her earpiece.

“Good, you’ve arrived. Launch the cables into the ship and steer it into the agreed-on island. We'll unload the Paladins and prisoners on the way down, bail out just before it crashes, and bomb the remains.”

“We should just kill these bastards,” spat Shaleh, to a couple of approving grunts and terrified or angry hisses and whimpers from the prisoners.

Sienna growled, low and hard, making the air and steel rumble as she marched on the smaller Faunus and ripped off his newly minted, pure black mask.

“And what would that do, fool?” she did not wait for his answer, “It would make us as merciless as them, while granting Ironwood a propaganda coup.”

Her voice grew satirical and harsh, “Look upon these poor butchered soldiers, murdered in the line of duty by savage Faunus! We must clamp down on the civilians who fund these wretches and bombard any even suspected bases!”

Her tone grew level, and she watched as he gulped and looked away.

“We measure our violence by our foes crimes, not by how easy they are to hurt. That is one of the many things that separates us from these brutes and their corporate masters. We are justice Shaleh. They just do as they please. Don’t throw it away for nothing.”

“S- Sorry High Leader, you’re right,” he answered, glancing at his cut up arm and then looking away from the soldiers.

“Good, now that we’re done, we’re behind schedule. Gather up the prisoners and be ready to hand push them onto the transports. Ilia, Maize, you’re with me. We need three of those Paladins ready to move, now!”

“As you say, High Leader, we are at your command!” they all shouted.

Her High Guard jostled and pushed the bound and bruised Atlesian soldiers to their feet, the Specialist draped over Niran’s back as she led the trio towards the unloading bay door.

“Ready!?” Sienna bellowed as she got the signal.

Her response was several chants of “Yes High Leader!” and some grudging nods from the Atlesian soldiers.

“Pull!”

Barbed steel tore into the steel doors and just as fast sent it hurtling down towards the ocean floor. The winds howled, but a barrier forged by her Guards and carefully deployed Wind Dust kept them and their prisoners grounded as a boxy cargo ship docked in the bay and its door slid open.

In a blur, the soldiers were forced inside in a confused mass of limbs before the doors sealed shut and the vessel shot out like a bullet.

“All right, the first drop ship is coming in. Maize, you first!”

“High Ho, High Leader!” they cheered, tail flying across buttons and unleashing the Paladin’s container, just as the open decked ship sailed in behind them. Cables launched out, and Maize quickly caught and lashed them around the Paladin, helping guide its path as it was tugged from the ship by winds, cable, and the strength of a soul.

The mass of metal crashed against the ships deck, making it bob before it roared back up and broke off.

“Ilia, now you!” Sienna could feel the ship was already dipping, too early, too early!

Ilia unleashed her Paladin and blurred around its frame frantically to bind the cable before grasping onto its leg as the large vessel began to reel it in.

Then the cargo ship thumped and shook. One of the engines had given out!

Ilia and her Paladin were sent into the air and the small Faunus fell off it. As the mass of steel careened into the waiting ship, she was being sucked out of the gaping wound they’d carved in the ship. The Gravity Dust in her boots doing nothing to ground her as she tried and failed to find purchase, screams lost to the wind. 

Sienna acted.

Hurling herself off her Paladin, she rebounded off the ceiling and tore through the wind, crashing into the floor in a crouch, snagging Ilia’s flailing arm just as the smaller Faunus was going over the edge. Letting her Aura wash over Ilia she hauled the small fighter back into the ship and hugged her close to her frame.

‘ _She’s in shock_ ,’ Sienna realized, even as her earpiece buzzed, “The ships falling too fast, we might guide it to the island but its gonna hit hard and fast, you gotta get out!”

Sienna saw her escape vessel lining up and snarled.

She lashed out her whip and with a crack unleashed her Paladin. She hurled herself in front of it as it was dragged from the ship, shouting into her communicator, “Down, down!”

Her rescue ship obeyed, and Sienna felt the Paladin lurch as it was dragged from the ship with them against it and caught up in the howling winds as they began to careen into the air.

Winches were launched, not to catch the Paladin or them, but to serve almost as a guiding net.

Sienna lashed out with Cerberus’s whip against one of the steel cables and roared as she snapped it. “Hold tight!” Ilia did as she was bid.

Sienna snarled, the world slowing around her as she forced herself to skirt around the Paladin’s cockpit, pressing Ilia against her larger frame as she wrapped the metal weapon in her chain, binding it to the winch.

Then Cerberus’s Whip started to slip from her grasp.

Sienna’s eyes shot wide even as she roared and tried to keep hold as the Paladin swayed away and the winds battered their forms.

Ilia shot out a single hand and grasped at the hilt, screaming as their aura flared and they finished the rotation. Aura flooded her weapon as the steel strained and screamed as the winch was reeled in and with a sudden crash, they slammed against the ships deck to the cheers of the crew!

‘ _That was a stupid risk, you fool_!’ Sienna wanted to scream at herself.

Only for Ilia to hug her properly, howling with a sort of hysterical, victorious laughter.

“We did it! We did it!”

Patting her back, Sienna smiled, “We did,” she raised her fist high and roared, “The White Fang is victorious!”

The crew cheered. Across each ship they cheered, bellowed, roared, and howled in celebration.

Down below, as their ships engines roared and rose high, the cargo ship crashed into a mass of jagged rocks only a little way away from an uninhabited island, not far off from one of Vale’s satellite settlements.

The cargo ship crashed with a thunderous roar, Dust ignited, and explosions tore across the ship's fraying metal frame, engulfing the Paladins in flames as it was torn apart in a nightmarish fire.

Letting Ilia go, Sienna made sure she was steadied against something before glancing over the edge of the ship.

_ ‘There’s still evidence. Perfect.’ _

“Send our crews down to gather the last of the evidence and have the reports sent off by this evening. My squad and I will return to Vale. The rest of you, get back to the temporary labs we established and pick these things apart for any tracers.”

“As you say, High Leader!” The crew cheered.

Sienna sucked in a deep breath and barely resisted the urge to just slump over the edge of the ship in exhausted relief. Instead, steeling herself to oversee the last stages of the operation as Ilia was guided to the first aid bay, a quiet thank you, on her lips that make Sienna’s gut churn with guilt as she eyed the Paladin.

_ ‘These wretched things had best be worth all this.’  _

* * *

The Forever Fall Forest was unnaturally quiet, just as Cinder willed it.

She stood within a tent at the center of the White Fang’s camp looking over a list of supplies, though she hardly needed to. Towers of Dust Crates lined the camp, outnumbering and looming over the remainders of the White Fang she’d managed to keep on their leash.

The rest… Dead or in some tragic cases escaped.

‘ _ I still need to determine if someone is feeding the true White Fang information. Given we haven’t come under attack, yet, they cannot have a direct line, but aiding an escapee? That is possible _ .’

Mercury, Emerald and Neo were off to one side, and she had Roman… elsewhere. The White Fang’s second in command, a bulky Faunus who only went by the self-chosen name “Bane” stood off on his own.

“It seems things are under control here. Once Adam arrives, we can return to our own mission,” she said simply.

“If you wish,” Bane growled, “You can leave now. We can handle things from here.”

Before Cinder could speak, Mercury swaggered forward, “Oh, but we wouldn’t want to leave you poor little guys defenseless,” he crooned.

‘ _ Of course, he’d try to pick a fight _ ,’ Cinder sighed, even as her own anger at the Faunus’s disrespectful snapping boiled just under the surface.

Bane grunted and stomped to meet Mercury in the middle of the tent, “I think you’ve done enough, humans.”

Before Cinder could speak up, she was rudely interrupted by an animalistic roar, “Cinder!”

_ ‘Wonderful, now this is happening, _ ’ she thought, repressing a sigh as she watched Adam barrel his way into the piddling remains of a camp, his suit tattered and stained with blood and dirt. 

At the redhead’s back was some two dozen White Fang, all in various stages of exhaustion save for a black clad bat Faunus who landed at his master’s side with an easy grin on his soft, oval features.

Cinder didn’t answer to his yowling, simply, slowly, rising to her admittedly not as impressive as she’d like height and waiting for him to tear his way into her tent.

“What happened!?” he snarled, “Where are my forces, where is the arm-”

Her hand clapped down on his shoulder and she cut in, “You should speak more gently.”

In an act of raw madness, he swatted her hand away, “You don’t command me!”

Yet at the sight of her crackling, golden eyes, his voice grew quieter, though no less harsh as he slammed his palms on the desk and tried to loom over, he was huffing and chuffing like a beast, teeth grit and reeking of blood and sweat.

“You… You promised me secrecy. You promised me an army— my rightful place, and now…” He hands quaked, “Now look at this insanity. You cost me everything.”

“I, Adam?” she spoke sharply, calmly, cutting through the din of his mind.

He reeled back and turned his anger on her servants, “Your idiot subordinates did!”

“And they’ve been chastised,” Cinder said airily.

“They’re still breathing after everything they cost me; do you even understand what I gave up for your plan? By now I should have been at Sienna’s side. I would have had her guards all in hand in a month, and then— and then I would— I was…”

“You will still rule, Adam, but only, if you remember this simple fact.” The tent was flooded with heat, Adam looked ready to go for his sword but all it took was a flicker of fire for his hand to drop.

_ ‘Coward _ .’

“Remember this simple fact Adam, carve it into your memory. Brand it there; lest I need to do it myself. Yyou, and everything you are, everything you own, is mine, and you will only be gifted the world you want, if you serve me.”

His teeth ground and she couldn’t help but chuckle, “Though, it isn’t as though you have any choice remaining is there?”

“I still have allies on the inside.”

“Corsac and Fennec?” she teased, loving how the color drained from his face.

“They already betrayed you. Apparently their interests were always in what was best for the Faunus.” And their own influence. “Without an army you no longer appealed.” She strode around the desk and traced a finger along his back. “Of course, with them gone and Sienna Khan on the move, you will be hunted.”

“I can handle her elite guards.”

“But you cannot kill her, or you would have long ago,” Cinder countered.

Adam spat, “She’s… She’s tricky, not strong, I am stronger than her, the strongest in the White Fang!”

‘ _ Big fish, small pond, and that’s assuming he’s even telling the truth. Our intelligence was clearly not up to standard given how quickly she turned the tables, _ ’ Cinder mused.

“I could have taken her if-“

“It is not a question we should entertain, Adam; because if you had been keeping an eye on her as you said, we would have known she was coming and been able to kill her in transit.” She cupped his cheek with a burning hand. “You failed. But under me, you can still get what you want. You just have to obey.”

Adam’s pride warred with fear and ambition, but his baser instincts won out as he nodded, “What then? What is your plan to fix this?”

Cinder hummed, “We will destroy Vale, just as planned, kill Sienna Khan, and from the ashes you shall raise an army. Simple, really, but first,” she motioned outside where his soldiers were milling about, lost and homeless.

“You need to rally your troops.”

Adam spat, “They’re barely-”

She placed a hand over his mouth and bit out, “Use whatever words you use to inspire yourself. Share them. A single devoted follower is worth a thousand mercenaries…” 

‘ _ If handled properly she thought,’ _ glancing at Mercury and Emerald, the former of whom smirked and the latter of whom cringed in shame.

Adam drew back and sighed, “I’ll rally my army, but for what?”

“For things to come,” Cinder answered with a smile.

With a huff, he spun on his heel and stomped back outside, bellowing as he went.

“Gather Round, gather round, all of you!

Adam’s voice was rough and strained, with a strange undercurrent of sharpness emphasizing his words at odd moments as he climbed atop a Dust crate stack.

The small cabal of his remaining followers clustered around the crates, even as Bane watched from the sidelines, inscrutable behind his mask. At the back of the motley crew marched a bat winged Faunus, his manner sharp and eyes possessing a cold, dead sort of manner Cinder recognized from those so inured to death and relished in it.

‘ _To make sure no assassins or martyrs for Sienna can strike,_ ’ Cinder mused.

Adam slammed his sword scabbard into the Dust Crate's lid and even Cinder tensed at that, though she didn’t show it, as the bull began to shout and bellow.

“I’m not a speaker. I’m someone who takes actions and does what needs to be done. That's why you believed in me enough to stay— to follow me on a perilous journey across the sea and sky!”

He paused as if waiting for applause before continuing.

“Where the others turned traitor or raced back to the comforting cloak of Sienna’s cowardice to wring their hands and make marginal gains for a pointless dream of equality, all of you took action! You stayed by my side because you know what I know, that the only path for our people is absolute victory: total domination!”

That finally drew a ragged cheer from his audience.

“You and I are all of a mind, of a type, we are the heroes of which legend speaks, the warriors who are revered like gods when they are gone! Because we were brave enough, strong enough, and ruthless enough to do what needed to be done!”

He cast his arms wide, “Each and every one of you is worth a hundred of Sienna’s cowards, and five hundred of Atlas’s piddling human soldiers!”

His followers bellowed in pride.

“I promise, while we’ve faced a setback, we will not stop here. We will push on; our revolution begins here! With the burning of Vale, we shall strike Atlas’s ships from the sky and topple this human kingdom and the people will flock to us, and only us, their voices raised high in exultation!”

“YEAH!”

“We shall be the leaders in a new world! Follow me, and I will give you power, fame, and enough human blood to dye the oceans red. This is the beginning of a new age, my age, the age of the Crimson Fang!”

Adam’s grin was wide and manic as the small crowd cheered his name, his mind already drifting towards plans for vengeance.

Cinder’s smirk was bloodcurdling as she drank in the cheers and animalistic hollers. Emerald and Neo dropping crates of alcohol and drugs near the crowd, knowing it would soon be passed around with glee as the Faunus sought to revel and forget their fears.

_ ‘Have your fun with your fantasies of great empires for tonight little beasts… After all, it’s the closest you will ever get to your ambitions.’ _

* * *

Sienna stood within her temporary chambers, a sparse room done in the standard blacks and whites of the club, the multi-colored lights had been removed for standard globes. Safes containing reports were scattered around along with some scrolls lining the walls imprinted with some new Kata she’d been going over during her brief respites. In the center was a small circular table.

Resting upon it was the circular 3D projector on which she scanned the news, a pleased smile on her lips.

On the hidden web and secret channels, her speech was playing, of her agents discovering Ironwood’s plan to smuggle new, elite weapons into Vale and how they had sabotaged his efforts with her brave soldiers.

On sympathetic channels, proof of their involvement and of the invasion conspiracy was being discussed by small newsgroups and online personalities.

And finally, upon more moderate but still worthwhile news stations she could see images of the burnt-out wreck and the ruined Paladins melted against stone as the water lapped at them, the Atlas insignia clears as day for all to see.

All showed the carnage.

Each showed the Paladins.

All shared the Atlesian travelogues and records.

As well as the pictures of the soldiers her forces had quite literally dropped off at Sun-Shire, alive and no more harmed than they’d been after the initial battle.

‘ _ We must embody justice; if we are to win this war, it must be on every field _ ,’ she mused.

The projector flickered as Ceto’s insignia flashed up and Sienna waved to answer it.

“How are things?” She asked.

“Good, the Albains have cooperated, rather stunningly, I think they might even be telling the truth that it wasn’t ambition… Well, mostly telling the truth,” the snake Faunus rasped with some humor.

“They can still be useful but keep them under observation.”

“Of course, High Leader. I take it the news is going well?”

“As well as can be, the major news stations are ignoring it for now, but the people who need to hear it will, and Ironwood will be forced to act.” Sienna couldn’t help but smirk, “And it seems we’ve removed any tracking implements at this stage. and Atlas is still days behind. Our forces have already left, and it is birds now leading them on a wild chase across the ocean.”

A pleased hiss echoed across the line, “I’m glad to hear that, a shame the black box didn’t have much more information.”

Sienna shrugged, “I did not expect it too, we can trace the Paladins another day.” She flicked her claw across the screens to reveal some islands and rundown looking settlements, “We have other matters to investigate for now.”

Ceto hissed, “Such as our hidden foes?”

Sienna sighed. “Still in the shadows. Maize has found a few more escaped soldiers, but otherwise… Just signs of travel, struggle, and death.”

“May the Ancestors guide them to a well-earned respite,” Ceto intoned.

Sienna bowed her head in a silent prayer.

Ceto’s tone was… delicate, when they next opened their mouth, and Sienna knew that promised ill tidings.

“One of my agents spoke with Ghira and Kali… They thanked you for your service and wondered if you would visit… They also asked after Blake. The agent didn’t know anything, and I think they took it as simple information compartmentalization but…”

“I will need to tell them” Sienna heaved, claws cutting into her palms, “Kali, Ghira….” Shaking her head, she answered, “I will tell them both soon.”

She refused to turn away to hide her shame even as sickness swelled inside her at the thought; another failure among many, but one so terribly personal and one that was her and only her fault.

‘ _ You deserved so much better Blake, I’m sorry… _ ’

“I had wanted to offer them Adam’s rotting corpse as some small token but…” she sighed, “that is just an excuse to stall.”

“Will you call them then?”

“No, they deserve to hear this much in person. Once Kuo Kuana is stabilized I will have to make a trip, provided blessings are upon us here. If not… I promise I will soon… As soon as I can…”

Ceto was silent for a time, before her old friend spoke, “Whatever happens, I shall not abandon you, Sienna.”

Sienna wondered if maybe they should. 

She shook off that thought, “Thank you, my friend, rest well now; there’s more work to be done.”

“You as well High Leader!” They answered before signing off.

Sienna ignored the vague pangs of exhaustion and her aching head to instead return to her work, her chambers pitch black, save for the glow of the screen reflected in her eyes.

_ ‘I will not fail again!’  _

* * *

Glynda glared out at the Fleet floating above Beacon, her riding crop nearly crushed in her grasp as she heard the elevator ding and Ironwood’s too jovial, too at ease voice call out.

“Ozpin, Glynda, I must admit I didn’t think you’d want to meet again so soon, and in person?” His tone grew dire, “Is something wrong?”

Ozpin’s tone was genial as he smiled at the other man from his seat, “I think how dire the situation is has yet to be determined, but I definitely felt it was worth speaking to you about.”

“Oz, please, if this is about the ships or my planned expos of the new military grade machines, I can assure you I’ve cleared them with the council, and they seem downright eager for the shows.”

“We’ll see about that come next week,” Glynda spat.

“Glynda, please,” Ozpin chided.

“Can I ask what that means, Glynda?” Ironwood demanded; his warmth having evaporated in a snap.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Glynda said with a near acidic playfulness as she spun around and flicked her finger.

Pulses of telekinetic energy danced across Ozpin’s interface and brought up a dozen different holo-screens. Each showed a different news story, three minor news stations in the center, two different magazines as well as three newspapers to the left and filed off to the right side were four moderately popular online sources with a host of smaller, lesser known voices below it.

All were distinct, but each shared common elements.

A downed ship.

Charred mechs.

Atlesian military secrecy.

And the White Fang.

Ironwood’s jaw practically locked up at the sight of it all, but there was no shock in his dark gaze.

“So, you did already know,” Glynda huffed.

Ozpin waved his free hand vaguely, “While the council’s opinion is important, James, I would appreciate it if you would run things like shipping military equipment into Vale by me as well.”

Ironwood stiffened and nodded, “I apologize, no one was meant to know, and it wasn’t meant to matter.”

Glynda scoffed, “Do you even grasp how that fails to fix this James?” She motioned towards the screens in one sharp slash. “You were caught trying to sneak high grade military hardware into Vale without letting the public know. Even if the councils come to your defense, that won’t help. It will simply look like they were selling the people of Vale out to Atlas.”

“I was bringing them to protect Vale and show our strength,” Ironwood countered.

“Yes, of course you were, because everything has to come back to a flexing of your nation’s military might, while you fail to understand that it doesn’t make anyone save your little bubble of sponsors in Atlas feel safe!”

“That’s-”

Glynda was on a roll though and didn’t stop as she marched around the room.

“That is not even addressing the fact you managed to lose it to the White Fang, handing dangerous weaponry to those-'' teeth clacked together as she stopped short of saying something foolish and pushed forward. 

“All you’ve done is turn suspicion upon Atlas. It looks more like you were prepping for an occupation than a festival, and you didn’t even think to share it with your own allies! Now those Faunus look like they’ve uncovered a sinister scheme on your part and have made off with dangerous weapons!”

She was stalled as Ozpin spoke up with a sigh, “We are fortunate that the major news outlets weren’t informed of this, and we are working to keep the story suppressed, that will at least stop anyone from starting a riot.”

He leaned back in his chair and motioned to the screens, “But the White Fang did send proof to certain relatively popular sources of news, particularly among more ‘underground’ communities. The poor, the Faunus, those already disinclined or displeased with the Councils and the way of things. That information is already spreading across the boroughs, ghettos, and slums as well as across the coastal towns where there was no hiding it and no major news outlets to quash the story.”

Glynda snorted, “They even tailored the information carefully to each station. Only half even knew before they reported it that their source was the White Fang, but it all comes together to paint a picture, James, and the public is waking up to it. All across the web, people are starting to whisper and worry all because you wanted to show off.”

She shook her head, “You might have had good intentions, but this?” she gestured to the burnt-out husk of the Paladins, running at the front of several articles and reports, “This does not look good.”

For a moment, he looked ready to try and argue before taking in a grudging, harsh breath and sighing as he let it out, eyes still hard, his posture harsh and stiff as he spoke like the general he was rather than the man they knew.

“You’re right, and we need to take decisive action now to stop the situation getting any worse; I’ll have my people arrest those reporting this and look over their offices for evidence.”

Glynda’s head ached, as she snapped, “This isn’t Atlas, James, you can’t just arrest people on a whim here; it isn’t even your nation; you have no legal justification!”

“Then have your police force do it,” he shrugged, almost sounding confused.

“Ignoring that we don’t command the police-“

“You command Hunters, they could do it.”

“It would serve no purpose, James,” Glynda groused. “The White Fang doesn’t control the ‘Daily Manifesto’ or the ‘Liberation Life’ Podcast and the assorted talking heads of community news organizations!”

“Then why are they all running the White Fang’s propaganda?”

“Because it’s a newsworthy story that was thrown into their laps, and like a dog with a bone, they went for it without any thought as to the source or the wider political ramifications,” Ozpin said gently.

“Exactly, those Faunus aren’t going to out themselves over something like this; they will keep a dozen layers of separation between them and anyone they hand it off to. Chances are even the ones who ran the White Fang’s video have no actual connection to them.”

“But we won’t know that unless we question them. This could be enemy action and you two want to wait around doing- what!?”

“Which enemy, James, it seems you have many?” Glynda countered.

“Please, Glynda,” Ozpin chided before turning to Ironwood, “We cannot arrest people for reporting the news, even news they received under suspicious circumstances. If you want to have watchers keep an eye on their movements, do so. But no arrests, no disappearances; that would only play right into the White Fang’s hands.”

“Fine then, I have some reliable agents I can take off other duties for that, but I think this is a mistake. This could be Salem’s work.” At Glynda’s arched brow, Ironwood gruffly added, “You’ve seen Qrow’s reports: the Queen Has Pawns, and what’s happening in your kingdom recently? Dust store thefts, fueled by a criminal mastermind, sponsored by the White Fang; the former of whom escaped Glynda of all people thanks to a woman whose fire tore from the earth with a scream.”

“Yes, you are right, that certainly sounds like the one who targeted Amber,” Ozpin offered gently as he cradled his mug. “But that doesn’t mean everything relates back to Salem. Others have sought the Maidens' power in the past.”

“Besides, I doubt the queen of Grimm would have much to offer Faunus, or so Oobleck has argued,” Glynda said. 

“Oobleck’s sympathies are well known,” Ironwood shrugged, “But I disagree, the White Fang have made themselves the enemies of humanity; why wouldn’t they work with Salem?”

“Because they gain nothing from it: no territory, no wealth, no conquests, just a barren world that will soon consume them; if they were that stupid, you wouldn’t have such trouble uprooting their little army,” Glynda snapped.

“I could if-”

“Enough, both of you,” Ozpin called out, mug slapping against his desk. “We cannot act in haste, this may be part of Salem’s scheme, but it could just as easily be her merely misleading a third faction against us, or it could be entirely unrelated and merely unfortunate timing. No matter which it might be, if we act too quickly, and without the necessary intelligence, we will surely fall right into some enemy’s hands.”

His gaze grew hard as he looked over them, “The Grimm and Salem thrive on paranoia, fear, rage and despair. If we squabble amongst ourselves or lose the faith of the people with heavy handed tactics, she wins.”

He cradled his head and sighed, “We must… We must not trip up on our own feet as we race towards an enemy we cannot even yet see.”

Glynda looked to the floor, as Ironwood seemed to stare passed them and instead into the winding gears that adorned Ozpin’s office.

“Very well, what do you recommend?” Ironwood asked.

Glynda stood at attention and awaited Ozpin’s orders.

Ozpin looked tired, as he spoke, “For now, subtlety is our ally, we must ensure the Vytal Festival is a success, we must reassure the public of the worlds commitment to peace and of our ability to protect them without becoming tyrants. I will try and recall Qrow from the field if I can, and I ask that both of you try to subtly investigate this situation, the wilds, maybe try and track down the stolen war machines.”

He spoke slowly, stressing every single word, “But let us keep it out of sight and out of mind, until the last, possible, moment.”

“Yes sir,” They answered as one.

And that was that.

* * *

Ruby hummed as she rounded on her dorm room, tone rising higher and higher as she got closer before grasping the door and bursting inside.

“Hey team, how’s the preparations!?”

“Interrupted by you,” Weiss snarked.

Yang quietly shut the door behind her and answered with a simple, “I’ve got all I need for this weekend.”

Weiss perked up and nodded only to herself, “The same can be said for me as well, though I’ll need to head to the CCT for my part of the plan.”

Ruby’s gaze flickered to Blake, whom Yang was already watching with concern. The dark-haired huntress in training was half hunched over her desk, staring at her Scroll.

As if sensing their silence, she turned to them with a grimace and waved the small device, “I’ve been doing research on the usual haunts, but everything seems off right now. Places usually loud seem too quiet, sites where people used to congregate have vanished or gone dark, and there’s no chatter of meetings like there should be… But I think I just found out why.” 

All three of them leaned in as Blake held out her Scroll, finger flicking across the screen and revealing a new page that showed a burnt-out wreck of a ship and a new article on a magazine Ruby had never seen before.

“Atlas’s Secret Invasion?” Ruby read aloud, head tilting to the side.

Yang glanced at the window and towards the Atlesian Battleships floating a little way off from Beacon, as Weiss just scoffed.

“This seems like some conspiratorial rag and what does it have to do with the White Fang or Roman Torchwick?”

Gaze sharpening, Blake opened a portfolio showing off some of the coolest machines Ruby had ever seen!

“Oh my gosh, is Atlas selling those? I want one!” She cheered.

“Given it crashed, I don’t think that’s possible sis,” Yang murmured.

“Wait, what happened, was anyone on the ship hurt?” Weiss asked, voice growing hurried.

Blinking Blake shook her head, “No one died if that’s what you’re worried about which was a bit of a shock all things considered,” she shrugged. “Apparently the crew,” she revealed an image of some battered Atlesian soldiers hovering outside of a town, “were kicked out of a cargo ship a few meters above ground after being evacuated.”

Her tone grew sharper, “But the reason people think it’s a prelude to an invasion is because Atlas was using a cargo freighter usually meant to move construction equipment to carry these new weapons of theirs into Vale.”

“I’m guessing the White Fang took it down then?” Yang asked.

Blake nodded, “They did, or at least they’re taking credit for the ship going down and spreading this information around to sympathetic or just anti Atlas groups and websites.”

“An invasion though? That’s ridiculous. My sister works for General Ironwood; he’s a good man,” Weiss countered, waving her hand at the screen. “I don’t know what this shipment is all about, but he was probably just trying to avoid just these kinds of raids.”

“But why was he bringing these mechs to Vale in the first place?” Blake countered, rising from her chair, “You may think Ironwood’s a good man, but given the kind of company he keeps and what he lets happen in his nation, I doubt it.”

Ruby could practically feel a fight brewing, only for Yang to step in, her voice warm and soothing. “Look, as it is, we don’t know everything that went on there, not the who, the why, or even the how. I admit, it looks kinda… Weird, for this General Ironwood to be sneaking mechs into Vale.”

“But Weiss does have a point that maybe he was just trying to avoid a fight. I don’t think we know enough to say… Well anything,” Yang shrugged, “But whatever happened and why, I think it is going to make our job a whole lot more complicated.”

An awkward silence began to rain, and Ruby, as leader, decided to slay it, standing tall, and pointing towards the sky she proclaimed.

“Well we aren’t gonna find any answers just sitting around here! Does this change our plans, really?” She received some stilted head shakes. “Then let’s stick with the super team strategy we have: we’ve gotta get out there and find out the truth, no matter what it may be and when we do, then we can save Vale!”

“Yeah!” her team cheered.

“Wait,” Weiss cut in. “We have class tomorrow. Wasn't the plan to leave on Friday?”

Ruby’s hand dropped jerkily, like a puppet with its strings cut, “Oh right… Um, Friday we save Vale, yeah!”

* * *

Within the dorm rooms of the visiting Mistrali students, Emerald watched as Cinder looked up from her Scroll with a smile.

“It seems Roman is doing rather well. We should have things arranged soon enough and be able to move onto the next stage of our operation.”

“Does that mean we get to see some action soon?” Mercury grumbled. “We’ve only been here a day, and I’m already bored.”

“Patience, Mercury,” Cinder said with some humor, as she flicked through screen after screen on her Scroll, scanning the information with an almost supernatural zeal.

“We have to finish laying the foundations for our plans in Vale; meanwhile,” she looked up, “you three will be assessing Beacon, and do be careful.”

Emerald swallowed at the sudden shift in sharpness in Cinder’s voice and nodded, “We won’t disappoint you again, I promise.”

Cinder’s smile was almost teasing, her eyes brimming with light as she answered, “Perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, thank you for reading, I hope this chapter was enjoyable! I would like to thank notHarold for their role in editing, you rock! 
> 
> So in this chapter I tried to show the over broader scope of how the White Fang operates and organizes itself and works to counter foes like Atlas. I hope that stuff both made sense and was interesting as I am a world building nerd.
> 
> If you’re wondering about the raid on the Paladins, it was actually inspired by the fact that Winter seemed to imply the Paladins stolen by Cinder and co were on their way to Vale when taken, which implies they weren’t taken from Atlas or from the fleet. So, I basically expanded on that and the fact Ironwood tried to play off the Paladins not being present at his little display as normal, that no one outside Atlas even knew of the attack, meaning it was all likely being done in secret.
> 
> When it came to Adam’s speech, I was actually inspired by a recent analysis video I watched recently. In it they referenced how early in his political career Hitler was seen as something of a joke because he talked in very childish ‘black and white’ terms, going on about mythic heroes, and gods ETC and generally seeming childish. I tried to capture a similar vibe with Adam given he seems to function on a sort of cult leader type personality which also felt fitting.
> 
> Oh and of course welcome team RWBY to the fic, huzzah XD I actually had their first scene at the end of the last chapter originally before realizing in hindsight it didn't work timeline wise. 
> 
> Also, when it comes to why Sienna is having more luck with the virus than the Oz conspiracy, that is purely down to different priorities and pressures:
> 
> The conspiracy is about fighting Salem, yes, but they are also about maintaining the veneer of peace and stability and especially, secrecy. This means that when Cinder broke in, even if they did (Which I assume is the case) scan the system, thanks to Watt’s background they likely found nothing. Worse, they might not even know why she was there, what she did, or if she left anything in the system. But if nothing turned up and the people want their internet back, they can’t exactly just purge the CCT or keep it offline for days because of an intruder they can’t even explain. 
> 
> Meanwhile, the White Fang pirate network may support civilians stuff, but its role for the WF was always made clear, as was the fact it may have to go down for security reasons. This means while not happy about their internet getting much spottier or just being gone, the Faunus of the White Fang Shadow Nation have an explanation, were already primed for stuff like this to happen, will just blame Atlas, and can expect it back soon. Or in other words, there’s no need for secrecy regarding a security breech, so Sienna and her allies can go a lot further and act faster when trying to counter it than than the conspiracy could.


	3. Painting the Town Red (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As team RWBY begins their investigation, the Shadow War for Vale intensifies as schemes and strategies collide in one explosive night!

Projected across Vale on every major news network was the easy, smiling visage of one well-dressed gentleman, General James Ironwood, and though he wore his uniform, he insisted on just being called James. Across from the older man sat Vale’s beloved Lisa Lavender..

Their surroundings are simple but elegant, homey and warm with only a small table between them. One could almost take it for intimate. However, the delicately and expertly lit arrangement on Beacon’s grounds had been carefully vetted and prepared by experts. Students were kept well away by teachers and guards.

Once it had made the rounds in Vale, the interview would be projected to the remaining kingdoms.

From his place atop Beacon’s tower, the academy's Headmaster nodded resolutely.

_ ‘Hopefully this will calm everyone’s nerves and return to us some control of the narrative.’ _

The last thing Vale needed, after all, was for the Vytal Festival to be disrupted by political dissent.

* * *

Sienna stood with her arms folded, ears flicking in veiled aggression that she opted against hiding as she watched the display on Junior’s ‘magnum projector’ with her gathered forces and the club's idle employees.  Her normally sharp and stern features now bore an irritated scowl. If she had a tail, it would be lashing back and forth, but bereft of one, she simply let her lips draw back to reveal the barest flickering of her fangs.

Her soldiers were by and large less subtle, only held back from shouting expletives at the general's grinning visage by necessity and a grudging curiosity as he and his faux stern propagandist fed him easy to answer questions veiled behind a stern delivery.

Lisa Lavender steepled her fingers, “Now then, James, untoward rumors that can be traced back to a criminal terrorist organization, the White Fang, have recently garnered a small degree of notoriety on the web. We, the journalists of Vale, were hoping to set the record straight for the public, meaning I must ask-”

An image of wounded soldiers and a brief flash of the shipwreck being airlifted out off the coast flashed on a projector behind them.

“What was the nature of this shipment? Why use the cargo freighter over your flagship? I know things may have been crowded with all your students, but surely it would have been safer?’

Ironwood’s grin was easy as he offered a polite chuckle.

“Thank you, Lisa, I’m so glad you asked about that, and to answer your last thought: yes, things were already rowdy enough on my flagship without giving the students something flashy to gawk over.”

They exchanged a polite chuckle over that.

Ironwood leaned back in his chair and with an airy wave announced, “I would like to assure the people of Vale that Atlas is, as always, committed to peace and safety for all. This means I did clear the delivery of machinery to Vale with the council before ordering the move to be made. As to why it was so secretive…”

He gestured to the holo-projector. The shipwreck flashed up again, and he grew stern.

“It was with the hopes of preventing this exact sort of situation. It is always my goal to limit the dangers faced by the people and my troops, no matter their rank or background. Unfortunately, criminals act indiscriminately, and sometimes they get lucky, which is exactly what happened here. This was exacerbated by our crew's focus on steering the ship to a safe crash over mindless fisticuffs, though they still managed to drive the attackers off with no losses to their own numbers.”

He gently clasped his hands, “Of course, that was only half the reason. The other though—” he gave her a cheeky grin, “—was more personal and perhaps a mistake on my part.”

“Can I ask what you mean by that, James?”

“Of course, it is simple really. I thought the people of Vale might like a surprise,” he answered cheerily. “I wanted to offer the people a gift that would bring us all closer together. Can you imagine it? The brave militia, the elite hunters, and the Atlesian Knights we have known and loved now reinforced by the new Atlesian Paladins? Such a union of technology, people, and ideas gives me hope, and unity has always been humanity's strength, and I hoped to foster that.”

His expression grew maudlin just as the background music, subtle but present, shifted to something melancholic.

“I am deeply sorry if this event has undermined the trust the people of Vale have in Atlas. Your nation has already been such a kind host to my students and soldiers.”

“So there is no truth to the White Fang’s claims then?” Lisa lavender said, sounding as though ending a book report.

“None at all, they and their supporters fabricate the worst scenarios to justify their crimes, nothing more. Fortunately, we have journalists like you to keep us all informed and stem the tide of rumors spread by the usual rabble-rousing types.”

He sighed, “I am sorry to say to those that were planning on attending our expo that the Atlesian Knights and Paladins will no longer be making appearances in ‘person’; but we are proud to be presenting new products in conjunction with our good friends at the SDC.”

“I am certain Vale’s early adopters will be happy to hear that,’ Lavender answered. 

Ironwood grinned, “I hope they are too, and at least without the emphasis on security upgrades we can all focus more of our attention on the bright young stars of the next generation at this year's Vytal Festival.”

“Thank you, James, I think everyone will sleep more easily knowing Atlas is always on our side, though,” she said with a carefully rehearsed raised brow, “Does this mean there will be no new announcement or roll-out of your kingdom's new products?”

Ironwood offered her another cheeky grin, “You caught me. I was hoping to show off the Atlesian Knights just a little if you’d give me the chance. Our researchers and partners in the SDC worked so hard after all. It would be a shame to let a minority of dissenters ruin this time of unity and cultural exchange.”

“Well said, and I think we have time, but that does mean we may have to skip tea.”

“Not at all, in fact, it’s on its way,” Ironwood clapped his hands theatrically and called, “Knight Lancelot 1, if you would bring us the tea?”

There was a noticeable but not too loud sound of metal clapping against stone as a white armored, black inlaid robot walked onto the scene, a tea tray in its grasp and an apron wrapped around its chest.

Sienna wanted to retch at the sight of it all.

“Is this bad for us?” Laffa whispered. 

Golden gaze drifting to the gunner, Sienna shrugged. “The people who needed to know the truth are already aware and aren’t likely to be convinced by this shameful display. Those who it will convince will have already disbelieved us. This,” she nodded at the tittering and joking pair, “was simply them being handed their script.”

_ ‘You and yours have managed to quell the noise, but you have still lost your weapons, the element of surprise, and people are already whispering about your little patrols in the dead of night.’  _

Atlas was on the move. Her scouts, both civilian and military, reported that much. Of course, no one would ask Ironwood about them or the plain clothed ‘tourists’ milling about in places they shouldn’t be with suspiciously Atlesian accents, but Sienna knew.

‘ _ Too many scouts saw the same thing. Once you pass three it becomes a pattern. It becomes enemy movement. _ ’

They would need to move carefully for now, but Sienna’s people knew this city better than Atlesians outsiders could learn it in a few days.

_ ‘I will not be taken by surprise again!’ _

Her gaze snapped to Junior as the man marched towards the door and muttered at her glare, “Some deadbeat who won’t take no for an answer.”

‘ _ Then why does it take your presence? _ ’ Sienna wondered, feigning acceptance as she turned her attention back to the screen, even as her mind began to whirl with concerns regarding their enemy in hiding.

‘ _ They’ve been quiet, but that will not last. They will need to make a move and soon, but where? _ ’

* * *

‘ _ Now of all times that rat bastard decides to show himself!? _ ’ Hei fumed, as he threw open and just as quickly slammed shut the doors of his club.

“Well now, that’s no way to run a business. Shouldn't you be inviting me in for a drink?” Roman asked, twirling his cane.

“You killed eight of my employees, fuck off,” Junior spat, his bouncers grunting in agreement, their guns still trained on Roman.

The master criminal however just shrugged, “My, my someone had an extra scoop of self-esteem in their coffee this morning and after selling me defective products too,” Roman tsked. “Somehow I don’t think those are a good combination Junior.” He stopped twirling his cane and pointed at his chin, humming. 

“But I might be willing to look the other way,” Roman tilted his head, “if you remember your manners.”

“I said fuck off, Roman,” Junior slapped the doors, “This place is under new protection.”

That drew an arched brow, “You sacrificed your vaunted neutrality for protection?”

Junior snorted unhappily, “That’s one way to put it.”

“Who in the world could convince you to do that, I wonder,” Roman gasped theatrically. “The Bloody Palms, the Golden Triad,” he grinned, “Did you go running to your cousin spiders for help?”

Hei kept his peace, arms folded, until one of his guards chose to mouth off.

“Pfft, bigger than any of them!”

“Enough,” Hei snapped.

Roman however just strode up closer, “Junior, Junior, Junior, I’m sure whoever you think you’re working for will keep you safe, but I have some tragic news for you my little friend.” His smirk was chilling, and Junior was reminded that the man before him was the one who had trained the mute monster that haunted Vale's underworld. “No one can protect you from what’s coming up next, so pick the winning team, and I’ll put in a good word for you.”

Hei almost let him pass, seeing Roman get torn to shreds would be fun but, _‘It would put my club in the line of fire if his sponsors come back on us._ ’

He clamped his hand down on Roman’s shoulder as the man moved to try and pass him.

“My suits are expensive, Junior,” Roman said with a measured coldness, even as Junior stepped back to bar Roman’s way. Grip tightening on his weapon, he added, “This having a backbone thing really doesn’t suit you.”

Hei swallowed hard, but steeled himself, ‘ _Play this right and the board will be clear!_ ’

He huffed, “Big talk for someone put on the run, or did you think I didn’t hear about your pet's little spat and how it sent you fleeing for the hills?”

Roman dusted off his coat, “Well now, that’s a rather biased read of events, don’t you think?”

“Prove me wrong?” Hei shrugged.

“I’d need to come inside for that, Junior. Let me in and I’ll explain everything, and trust me, you’ll see why signing on isn’t just a matter of money; its survival.”

Hei could feel the tension in the air. The idea that anyone could cow Roman and Neo so thoroughly was indeed daunting, but with a tiger looming above his head and a dagger at his throat, Junior knew he shouldn’t step into either's embrace.

* * *

Junior leaned in.  _ 'Far too bold for such a small fry,' _ Roman thought,  _ ‘If he gets spittle on my face, or worse my suit, I won’t be held responsible for what I do _ .’ Not that Roman had ever taken responsibility for anything in his entire life.

Junior peeked over his glasses, voice quiet but gruff, “Look, Roman, this place is protected more now than it ever was before, even from your mysterious sponsors. So I don’t have to let you in to shit if I don’t want to and am far too busy to entertain you or anyone right here and now when I’ve got cats and dogs coming out my ass. So run back to whatever mad woman you’re reporting to and leave me out of this.”

_ ‘Ohoo _ ,’ Roman hummed, tipping up the brim of his hat with his cane. ‘ _ Not very subtle for an information broker are you, Junior? _ ’

With a sarcastic little bow, he answered, “Well, I am sorry to hear that, Junior. I really am. Best of luck with your new dog sitting business.”

Roman quickly turned away, though he still made sure to cast a half glance over his shoulder. He caught Junior nodding to himself before disappearing inside as Roman dipped into a familiar alleyway.

_ ‘Well, now that is interesting… Provided he’s telling the truth at least and won’t tell the mutts… Hmm,’ _

Roman slipped into the tinted car he’d been using and drove off with deliberate ease, blending into the streets with nary a raised brow as he went. There was a time for flare and a time to be quiet after all.

It was an interesting conundrum, Roman was in. A week or two ago, he would have been gleeful at the thought of handing Cinder such a victory.

_ ‘The White Fang are using Junior’s club and information network in an isolated, crime-ridden part of town. Oh wouldn’t that just make a perfect place for an assassination?’ _

But that, of course, relied on the White Fang’s leader being there and Junior not squealing, neither of which Roman could trust. Still, the info alone would likely be good for Cinder and her schemes; but was it good for him and Neo? That was the question.

_ ‘She’s been keeping her head, but for all that fire and flash, Cinder isn’t looking so hot these days, not so untouchable…’ _

Neo had kept the fact the White Fang saw her on their ship a secret, only telling him through code even Cinder wasn’t aware of, another subtle gap in her armor.

‘ _ She does still have those strange powers though and _ ,’ he shuddered, ‘ _ The Grimm. _ ’

And given he knew her influence over Grimm was real, he had little reason to doubt the… Hints, Cinder had been dropping about something, someone, even worse than her.

‘ _ But! _ ’ Another voice inside him argued, ‘ _ Maybe the Grimm control is just some one-of-a-kind Semblance or not as powerful as she likes to project? _ ’

It would fit with her not simply using an army of Grimm to storm the city, wouldn’t it? ‘ _ And if she, or whoever she’s working with are so powerful, why do they need little ol me, or that Taurus twit?’ _

Not that Roman wouldn’t sing his own praises till the moon crumbled away, but he could smell a con a mile away.

Something wasn’t adding up quite as neatly as it had just a few weeks ago, before they were put on the run, before Cinder had been forced to leave him to his own devices long enough that he could really start thinking, scheming.

_ ‘Maybe, just maybe, if I play this right, the monsters and beasts can deal with each other?’ _

It was a nice thought, one he might entertain just a little longer.

* * *

“Oh, there you are~!” Yang sang, strolling up behind Blake, eyeing her partner on the park bench, academy uniform mostly on save for the tie, the coat, the shoes… OK, a lot of it was missing and her hair was flowing in the slight breeze, but the dour expression on her features drew Yang’s attention away from any thoughts but concern.

Blake waved her over, “Hey… What are your thoughts on this?’ she asked, angling her Scroll so Yang could see it from over her shoulder.

What Yang saw was that general Ironwood guy and Lisa Lavender laughing up a storm over tea while tended to by some shiny new droid.

“Looks heavier and more reinforced than the older models, but the connecting elements will make it a lot more flexible. Still, is a droid smart enough to use that? AI can be so buggy,” she mused, rubbing her chin.

She glanced at Blake who was watching her intently, so much so Yang gulped a little, brushing hair from her face in embarrassment. “Sorry, sorry, I guess you aren’t interested in my thoughts on the droid. It's the people, right?”

“Yes, the general says the war machines were cleared with the council and just a surprise, even a symbol of unity meant to show how much he loves his troops. What are your thoughts?”

Yang frowned, “I… Look I can tell you a lot about local politics, history, even the economy, but I’ll be the first to admit, barring my tech magazines, I never paid much mind to Atlas. More the fool me, right?”

“Don’t say that,” Blake chided.

“Sorry, but I just, hmm, I don’t know if I’m qualified to weigh in on it, especially knowing so little, but… If I were a betting gal, I would think there’s way more to this than what we’re seeing. The council here has always been big fans of Atlas, which might be part of it. Weiss seems to think he must be OK cos her sister works for him, but I don’t know her sister’s judgement either.”

Yang rolled back on her feet and bounced, “The whole mess is suspicious. It feels like we’re in fog and barely seeing car lights flashing as they pass us by.”

“Good metaphor,” Blake commended gently.

Yang grinned, before her lips thinned, “All I can say is, I don’t think we’re seeing even close to the whole picture, and we aren’t going to get it staring at the screen and listening to what they want to tell us. Is that right?”

Blake chuckled for the first time in days, sealed away her scroll, and slipped back into her shoes. “That sounds about right.”

Yang grinned and snaked her hand into Blake's. “Come on then. We gotta get ready for our team's ‘night on the town.' Are you ready!?”

Blake let Yang tug her along towards their dorm room, “Yeah, I’ve made all the preparations I can from here. Now it’s time to get into the thick of things.”

Yang cheered, “I love it when you're feisty. Let's go!”

As they raced down the paths towards their dorms, two sets of eavesdropping ears found themselves metaphorically burning. They looked to one another and grinned, bumping fists and cheering, “Aw yeah!”

* * *

In team RWBY’s dorm room, equipment had been readied, plans made, and with a shared cheer they’d been ready to set off on their self-appointed mission.

Then Sun and Neptune had crawled in the window and demanded to tag along, much to everyone’s surprise.

Things had quickly gone off track as the duo proved unwilling to be wavered from their path in joining the "adventure," and Ruby had made an executive decision, namely that two more people meant everyone partnered up and could cover more ground at the same time and more safely than if they split up or kept their partner pairs.

Thus with two new party members marshaled, equipment readied, and plans made, they had set off, though this time without a cheer as trying to recapture the moment had felt awkward. Ruby had commended the boys for trying though.

_ ‘Of course, our plan goes off the rails again anyway, _ ’ Weiss had silently huffed as Ruby had careened off to pursue Penny, leaving Weiss to her own devices.

‘ _ Still… _ ’ She thought, looking at the secretary on screen, ‘ _ Maybe it’s for the best. _ ’

As much as Ruby’s unwavering optimism and support would be appreciated, Weiss did not feel up to explaining any of her family life to her partner, let alone anyone else.

_ ‘It’s better to be alone.’ _

“Miss Schnee, did you want me to put you in contact with your sister?” The secretary asked.

Weiss snapped back into action, “Oh, I’m so sorry my mind was elsewhere.”

“Of course, Miss Schnee,” they answered, politely awaiting an answer.

Weiss’s gaze flicked down to the data drive, and she saw it was filled; flashes of her and Blake’s near argument flashed in her mind, and her false smile thinned. “I… Is she busy? Engaged with anyone or some important task?”

“She was in a meeting with your father, but I believe it is over now. I have access to her line, and I can connect you directly to her.”

The last thing she wanted was to hear from father, but Winter… Maybe she’d have advice?

“If I wouldn’t be interrupting then, I would love to be transferred over to her, thank you.”

“Of course, ma’am, one moment!” They answered with a chirp before the screen flashed with Winter’s symbol. After one single flash, her sister's face appeared, the SDC sigil off somewhere behind her as she made her way out of the central tower.

“Weiss, this is unexpected,” She said coolly.

_ ‘I made a mistake somehow!’ _

Weiss bowed her head, “Hello sister, I hope I’m not interrupting your busy work schedule.”

That drew a brief flash of a grin from Winter and the screen flickered for a moment.

“You are not. I am just dealing with a temper tantrum regarding some lost resources,” She smirked and added, “Oh, and we can talk freely now. I just locked father and his spies out of this call.”

“You can do that?” Weiss’s brows knit together suspiciously.

“As an S-class Specialist, I have clearance to do many things, including securing my privacy from father without putting an ocean between us. Not that I don’t understand the reasoning.”

Weiss’s shoulders slouched a little, into something just a bit more relaxed and casual, “I’m glad someone does. Whitley thought I was mad, and mother…”

“Yes, I understand,” Winter offered, with an uncharacteristic gentleness Weiss knew only escaped Winter occasionally.

Looking at her sister, she could see her stern demeanor was already well back in place as she took a seat in the back of a car and the engine revved, taking off.

“Now then,” Winter started, “May I ask why you were requesting information on SDC shipments and recent raids?”

Weiss snapped back, “I thought- does father?”

“I am certain he will know soon enough. Even I can’t bar his staff from talking. I merely intercepted the message first.”

“So much for privacy,” Weiss grumbled.

That actually seemed to stop Winter short for a time, as she slowly rallied and said, “I am sorry. I shouldn’t have interceded in your business in such a manner. so while I would like to know, I will not ask another question on it.”

“I- thank you Winter,” Weiss hid her sigh of relief at that.

“Of course, though, please ensure I don’t regret not getting involved?”

“Of course, have I ever disappointed you?”

“I do recall you once breaking my icicle figurines and blaming it on a ‘Wild Nevermore’ until the security cameras showed you breaking it,” Winter offered, mirth tinging her lips.

“I was five and still learning to ride Stardust,” she harped.

“Always an excuse,” Winter joked or Chided. It was hard to tell with her. “Whatever the case, what compelled you to call? It has been sometime since we spoke, and I would like to know how you are acclimating at Beacon.”

Weiss perked up, “Oh! I am doing marvelously. I am in the top of all my classes. Professor Goodwitch has commended my skill several time, and my team and I are coordinating extremely well!”

_ ‘Just ignore Ruby wandering off and we’re fine!’ _

“That isn’t what I meant Weiss,” Winter cut in, “I meant are you eating properly? Sleeping well? Making friends?”

‘ _Oh… Oh!_ ’ So it was that kind of question, the sort Yang asked.

“Well, I’m sleeping fairly well now. Vale is far more humid than I’m used to, but I’ve gotten used to it. Beacon’s cafeteria could match the sort of banquets you might see at a party, and my team… Well it’s been an interesting adjustment, but,” a small smile crept onto her face. “Despite some difficulties, I think we are growing closer, and I hope that continues.”

“My, my, it seems you rather like them.”

“Well, that is one way to put it.”

“I’m glad. It is integral you have people you can trust around you, Weiss, especially in the life you’ve chosen.”

Nodding, Weiss felt her smile slip, “You’re right, and actually that brings me to the other reason I called… Winter, do you think General Ironwood is a good man?”

* * *

Ruby was getting increasingly distressed.

She’d found Penny after the redhead had handed her dropped Scroll back, only to suddenly try and flee, all while looking stricken at ‘having’ to do so.

She’d managed to talk her into a walk through the streets of Vale, but Penny’s path had been erratic at best, as if she was trying to avoid something. But despite Ruby’s admittedly clumsy efforts- she usually relied on Yang for this stuff -to reassure the redhead, it felt like they were going in circles.

‘ _ She keeps getting upset every time we see Ironwood’s face on the TV. _ ’ The general’s image and interviews had been blasting across the news since morning and showed no signs of stopping.

Hand on Penny’s shoulder, she brought the other girl to a stop near a café’s garden and asked, “Penny, is Ironwood your dad, or something?”

Penny’s bright green, slightly odd though Ruby couldn’t place how, eyes flicked to her as she waved her hands. “Oh no, no, no, my father is a scientist back in Atlas. General Ironwood is… I am unsure if there is a fitting term, but he has been an influence on my life, and I don’t want to disappoint him.”

“Is he the reason you vanished the night at the docks?”

“Yes, he came to get me. I am sorry, Ruby. He said it was best if I was kept in reserve for when I was needed.”

“Needed? For what? Aren’t you just here for the tournament?”

Penny shook her head, “I am, but General Ironwood also says I have an important role to play in saving the world,” Penny’s hands slapped over her mouth at that.

“Saving the world?” Ruby’s head tilted to the side, “We’re at peace though, and that’s kind of a lot to put on one person.”

“Oh, it is no problem, reall-” Penny hiccuped, again, Ruby was beginning to notice a pattern.

“Look, Penny,” she gently took the other girl's hand, “If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to, but I said we’re friends, and I mean it, so that means I’m here for you if you need me.”

Penny’s entire body went through a very janky and jerky shift as though she was trying to sag in relief but was too stiff to do it.

Then she blurred forward and crushed Ruby in a hug, “Thank you Ruby, you’re such a good friend!”

Ruby gasped, “Happy… to help!”

“Miss Polendina!” An unfamiliar voice called, quickly followed by two older, gruffer voices hitting Ruby’s ear, “Target is located.”

Penny’s gaze snapped to the side, and Ruby followed her, still pressed against the other girl as she saw two Atlesian soldiers and a dark-skinned Hunter with a golden sun insignia on their forehead and white and blue military dress marching towards them.

“I…” Penny started before turning away, shamefaced.

Ruby did not like that at all.

She wrapped her arms around Penny and with a heave hefted her into the air, ‘ _What is she made of, metal!?’_

“Ruby? What are-”

“Hang on,” Ruby grinned and then she flooded her form with Aura, so much that it bled out of her, shrouding Penny in her strength as rose petals flooded the streets.

Penny’s eyes were wide as if spellbound by the sight before everything turned into a red blur, and they rocketed over the road and down the streets.

* * *

Vale was big.

It was easy to forget that living at Beacon, practically a large village unto itself but with everything in easy walking distance. Beacon’s classical grounds contrasted heavily against the mega-city of Vale, especially as they entered the rougher side of town that bordered onto the burrows, dens, and slums.

Bumblebee roared as Yang weaved her way through traffic on Vale’s increasingly barren mid-evening streets, litter being blasted into the air in her wake as her tagalong failed to hide his shrieks at every sudden turn.

“Hoooow, looong?” he cried out.

“Not long,” Yang called back, keeping on the speed both because she wanted to be on time and to ensure her tag along didn’t get ‘handsy’ again.

It wasn’t long before they pulled into the open street surrounding Juniors Club, silent as one might expect in the early evening but… Yang frowned at the number of vans and cars littering the streets.

_ ‘I hope there isn’t some gang meet-up tonight, or we’re gonna have to bail. Or at least call for backup!’ _

“Is this the place?” Neptune asked dizzily.

“Yeah, don’t get off though,” she said, rolling Bumblebee towards the door and watching the two bouncers on front rear back and reach for their weapons.

“No need for that boys. We're all friends after all.” She ignored their scoffs and nodded to the bar, “Looks like it's hopping. Is something going down tonight?”

The two guards looked at one another, then back at the door, before back to her. Finally, one with long dark hair snapped, “We have out of town guests, and they don’t like to be bothered by outsiders, so screw off.”

“Such language!” Yang gasped.

“Aah, I thought these were friends?” Neptune tried to whisper.

Both guards scoffed and Yang shrugged, “Friends, gangsters I beat up, what’s the difference?”

“Pretty big!” Two voices shouted as the doors flew open and the red and white dressed twins strutted out looking less than pleased.

“Hey ladies!” Yang waved.

Neptune tried to lean on her like a but lacked both the height and her willingness to stay still as he winked, “Hey-aah!” nearly falling from his seat as Yang contorted and caused his arm to slip off.

“Why are you here, blondie?” They asked as one.

“Ooh you two have been practicing, nice work,” Yang commended, “And come on, can’t I come visit my favorite twins in the whole wide world? Especially when I need to speak to Junior as well, I mean, it just makes sense!”

“The boss is too busy to deal with you tonight,” Melanie sniffed.

“And don’t think you can just force your way in this time. We've got back up,” Miltiades huffed.

“Like Roman Torchwick?” Yang asked with an arched brow, drawing a flash of something from the bar's guards before they scoffed in disgust.

“Like we’d work with him after he disappeared some of our guys,” Melanie snapped.

“Uh, disappeared?” Neptune cut in.

Yang wanted to rub her temples.

“As in took them on a job, then never brought them back and didn’t leave anything behind,” Miltiades groaned.

“Why’d ya bring this mook?” The shorted haired guard asked.

“Don’t listen to him; listen to me,” Yang leaned forward and quietly said, “I’m chasing down Torchwick right now, so any idea where he might be or what he’s up to?”

The guards frowned, the twins looked intrigued, all looked across the cars in the lobby and then back at the door.

“Wait outside,” Miltiades, turning with her sister who said, “We need to see if the boss knows anything.”

“Sure, sure, I can be patient.”

Even still, she slapped at Neptune’s leg to make sure he kept himself on the bike as she grasped the handles, eyes flickering around warily for an ambush.

_ ‘What is going on here?’ _

* * *

“This is obviously a trap, right?” Maru asked. The High Guard ran a hand across his large, curved horns, the right of which now was cut off at the end from a recent surprise attack.

“No question,” Maize said, tail and foot tapping against the floor of their ‘central hub’ as they looked over a holographic map of Vale’s warehouse district, arms folded, their sharp features, somber.

Sienna pushed her drowsiness away and spoke, “It is far too soon for our hidden enemy and the traitors to be moving and so openly, especially in Vale of all places.” she shook her head, “No, this can only be a trap, but we cannot let this challenge go ignored either.”

“The Crimson Fang,” Maize groused, “Traitor couldn’t even come up with an original name.” 

“Adam is skilled at spinning lies, but that does not mean he is terribly original,” Sienna said, tapping at the projection and zooming out.

“But…” Ilia quieted herself, only for Sienna to wave her on. “Sorry, but High Leader, are we sure we can trust these criminals' information?”

“It is rather convenient,” started Niran, lion's tail coiling around her spear as she tapped it on the floor, “That these criminals picked up word of this 'rally' so quickly and so cleanly.”

“But can we ignore it?” Ube asked, hand running across their scaled skin that had only recently healed in full after grappling with an explosive.

“We cannot,” Sienna said bluntly, hands resting on the table as she looked over her chosen platoon for this mission. “If we do not rise to meet this challenge, Adam and his band of traitors will spread word of their faction across Vale. Every moment they and their human masters draw breath, they sap the life out of our cause and freedom from our people.”

She zeroed the map in on the club and scowled, ears twitching as she motioned around their current base. 

“The integral questions we ask are not whether this is a trap or if we must act. No, it is whether Hei Xiong is working with Adam’s masters, or is he merely trying to play us off those he sees as his rivals?” The man had made little secret of his umbrage at the presence of Faunus, and her watchers reported some early arrivals and quick disappearing from humans that had drawn the gang leaders’ attention, and thus Sienna’s.

‘ _ I won’t confront him though, not yet. If it is nothing there is no need to antagonize him, and if there is something… Well, he would not tell me, and it is best to let him think me ignorant.’ _

“How will they plan to engage with us, and what is the best means by which we can trap them and end this before Ironwood’s secret police get involved?”

The general was not as subtle as he liked to think. Sienna's forces had been building a comprehensive map and travel profile for his agents, plain clothed and armored, for days. They had already spotted several gaps in their coverage, but a battle was sure to lure in at least the Specialists he had scattered around.

Ube raised their hand, scaly armor in place of skin glinting in the fragile light, “High Leader, could they have sold us out to Atlas?”

“A fair thought, Ube, but one I find unlikely. If betrayal is afoot, it is of the more subtle variety, or else we would already be under attack.” She tapped the map, “Still, I would keep him under watch while we are away. Speaking of which.”

She tapped her projector and spoke to her two elite gunners, each now bearing a refurbished sniper rifle and on lookout.

“Laffa, report.”

The rabbit-eared gunner spoke back promptly, “As you say High Leader, I’ve established a watch zone out of the detection range on a crane and am observing the warehouse as ordered. Our new heat sensor goggles are proving useful… But not as much as I would like.”

“What do you see then?”

“I think something is interfering with my goggles, as the vision should not be so blurry, but I count at least a dozen figures in the warehouse. Otherwise it has tinted windows and looks defensible as far as these things go. However, I can’t identify any of the people inside.”

“Has anyone arrived for this 'rally', yet?”

“No, High Leader, and I see no patrols save our own plain clothed watchers. “

_ ‘It would be so easy to call Atlas on this through a proxy, but… _ ’ her fists clenched, claws digging into her palms. _ ‘Their judgement does not belong in tainted human courts _ .’ 

“Maintain observation then, and report anything noteworthy.”

“As you say, High Leader.”

Pushing herself up, Sienna ignored the faint soreness running across her muscles and slowly opened her eyes, clear and focused upon the map as she spoke.

“Ready the cars and the flares. We will create a perimeter and approach slowly, searching for booby traps. I’ll explain your assignments as we ready.”

Her forces saluted, “Yes, High Leader!”

Sienna bowed her head in acceptance, but as they raced to obey, her mind drifted to the map and Adam’s symbol floating above the warehouse.

‘ _ Soon, Adam, your reckoning will come. _ ’

Her communicator buzzed.

“High Leader, we have movement! Someone snuck past our perimeter!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We decided to break this chapter up due to its length and this feeling like a good spot for a cliffhanger, I hope it worked!
> 
> As always thanks to my wonderful editor notHarold for their help on this and to you for reading, I would be delighted to receive any feedback, critique or questions you might have and whatever the case I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the story so far. 
> 
> For reference I am not trying to make the Oz conspiracy look evil with this media management stuff, but I do feel it lines up with canon and they aren’t meant to be always upfront in universe people anyway. In the early episodes we have Glynda insisting they are in an era of peace to students, an idea Qrow later insists in coming to an end. We see their groups focus on either heavy handed force (Ironwood) & concern regarding the reactions of the people & their focus on keeping things calm above all, so them doing this felt believable to me. (Also even more so for Ironwood post the season finale, haha)


	4. Painting the Town Red (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As team RWBY begins their investigation, the Shadow War for Vale intensifies as schemes and strategies collide in one explosive night!

Blake touched down in the alleyway with nary a rustle of wind.

Sun landed behind her with a clomping stomp, and she tried to ignore the nervous, frustrated tension that shot across her back as she looked for attackers.

“Uh, aren’t we-”

She clamped her hand over his mouth and hissed, “Ssh.”

Nodding and mumbling behind her hand he gave the ‘OK’ sign, and Blake returned to scouting out the alley as Sun tried to creep behind her, now whispering.

“So, uh, didn’t you say this was meant to be a rally or something; why all the sneaking around?”

Blake pushed back a poster and nodded at the trio of claw marks hidden behind it before covering it back up.

“Well first off, because we got into a fight with the White Fang last time we met them. Normally, I wouldn’t expect there to be much of a problem. The people managing recruitment aren’t usually frontline fighters unless they call in a speaker, but…” She led him down another corner, having to stop him from just walking past her without scanning first.

“Buuuut?” He asked as they slid down into the next alleyway.

Blake only half listened, too busy scanning the buildings and garbage containers for symbols and code; at his tail prodding her hip she answered, a frown maring her face. 

“But it is too quiet here and not travelled enough, and… I think— no, I know I saw Faunus in disguise patrolling the outer area. Whatever this rally is, it’s not normal so we need to be careful.”

“Speaking of which, I thought we were looking for the White Fang, but you said something about a-”

“Crimson Fang,” she said quietly, looking upon Adam’s rose sigil, a shiver running across her fingers as something cold filled her stomach.

_ ‘Adam…’ _

“Yeah, Crimson Fang, what’s that about, like, some elite order you guys had?” he waved his hands and his tone grew joking, “Holy warriors or something?”

Blake didn’t answer, eyes still wide as she stared at the symbol, claws tracing across it as she failed to steady herself.

“Uh, Blake? Blake?” Sun prodded. “What’s up?”

“I don’t know, I…” she turned away and pressed forward, “Things are different than I remember.”

_ ‘Remember? Or just different than what I thought…’ _

“Their codes are shifting— names too, it's… a problem…”

_ ‘Did I ever really understand the White Fang?’ _

“OK, but we can still crash the rally, right?”

“We’re meant to be gathering intel, not picking a fight,” she countered, “And you should go-”

“No way, this sounds exciting. Besides, pals don’t back out on pals.”

Blake’s hand reached down and grasped her Scroll before she let it go, “Just be ready to run, all right?” She said hastily, before pushing on without waiting for a response.

‘ _ No one else should have to be near him, but— but surely he won’t actually be here— not for this. Right?’ _

Her ears twitched as they rounded on a thick, brick-crafted warehouse with tinted windows and reinforced roofing. Inside, she could hear the faint sound of murmuring and feet shuffling, but it was all too distant and muffled!

“This isn’t right… There should be someone on the door, masks waiting inside, people queuing up,” Blake pressed herself against the wall, ears straining but hearing nothing more as she stared intently at the warehouse.

“Speaking of which, what’s with the masks anyway?”

“Some other time. You wait here. I need to scope this out, and… Be ready to call for backup,” she said, even as it made her chest tighten as though her ribs were stabbing into her lungs.

_ ‘He won’t be here; he can’t be here.’ _

“But what are you gonna-”

Sun’s voice faded as she shadow-stepped into the air and onto the roof of the warehouse, ducking low and vanishing from sight in an instant as she crawled across the hard, rough surface, winding her way around pipes and bird droppings as she edged her way towards the skylight.

Then she heard it just as she approached the skylight: the whistle of an arrow careening towards her legs.

_ ‘They don’t want me to run!’ _

Blake rolled forward, intent on shadow-stepping over the skylight when the glass shattered at her back as the arrow crashed into the roof and something hard snapped around her neck, yanking her down in a blur.

Blake ripped herself free at the last moment and crashed on all fours to the floor, glass showering her and cracking against her Aura as she bared her fangs at Torchwick.

“Well look what I have, a cat in the hand!”

“You again-” A familiar sound, a scent-

_ ‘Adam _ !’

Blake threw herself back just as Wilt crashed into the gravel, Adam’s snarl chasing after her as she skipped back to the closed doors only to freeze at the presence of the captain flaring his Aura at the door.

Blake froze, jaw locked shut as Adam stepped from the moonlight and into the shadows, Blush and Wilt in hand and his Aura burning around him.

“You… I should have known it was you who betrayed me-”

“Adam, I had to leave-”

“Leave!? Run away and go to hide behind Sienna’s cape like you did your parents? You child!” Red flashed, and Blake made to dodge only for Wilt to slam into her stomach and send her skidding across the floor.

She barely righted herself— didn't even have Gambol Shroud wholly free— before Blush struck against the side of her head, barely impeded by her sheath, the force of the blow sending her crashing and rolling to the floor.

“I don’t know what possessed you to come back without Sienna as your guardian,” he loomed over her now, and Blake couldn’t move— couldn't force herself to stand. “But once I discipline you, Blake, you will never leave again-”

Then the door exploded.

“Hey, I heard a crash!” Sun called.

Adam snarled, “Deal with the tagalong!”

Blake barely noticed the captain's dispassionate grunt or Roman’s theatrical sigh or even Sun racing towards Adam from behind.

It took the ensuing explosion of Roman’s shot to snap her from Adam’s spell. 

Sun parried the blast and unveiled his nunchucks sending sparks into the air. 

Only for Roman to slam his cane into the ground, launching it across the warehouse with such force it broke through Sun’s guard and sent him staggering back. 

Roman raced forward and snagged his cane from the air, letting loose a fiery shot. 

Sun made to leap over it, but Roman slashed his cane and a stream of fire tore the air sending him flying into the wall.

Adam was only half watching, a pleased smirk on his face, “Humans do have some uses, don’t they, love?”

Flight and fight warred inside her, but the idea of someone dying, anyone else dying because of her fear, forced her into action.

Blake tore Gambol Shroud free and lashed out at Adam with a scream.

Only for Blush to block the strike. The only saving grace was that it made it too hard for Adam’s retaliatory blow to slip through, letting her race back.

Only for gun fire to dance at her feet as the cabal of White Fang soldiers scattered along the catwalks and corners of the warehouse, joined the fray.

“Nowhere to run this time, my dear, no one to run to; just you and me, as it should be.”

Blake’s steps were shaky and sharp, ‘ _ Breathe: never forget to breathe, child. No matter your fear or pain, never let your opponent claim control of your own body. Do not let fear control you. _ ’ Those words were from long ago and not from the man who she had called mentor, but they resonated all the same.

Blake took a glance at Sun as Roman was cheerfully pushing him back but no longer dominating the battle as he had been.

‘The others will be here soon, and we’ll have them.’

She fell into a combat stance, sheath up to guard, legs braced to charge and blade over her head.

“Standing your ground for once?” Adam mocked, keeping a loose guard and looking down on her.

Blake swallowed and bit out, “Always,” and charged. 

* * *

Ilia’s steps were light and swift as she scarpered across the warehouse roofs, Lightning Lash held tight in hand as she made her way towards the warehouse.

Her heart was steady, her skin unwavering, even as her mind whirled.

Would Adam be there? 

Would his human masters?

Would Blake…

An ugly tightness choked in her throat, ‘Blake!’

She still remembered her smiles, her warmth, her supportive and unwavering strength.

But only recently did Ilia realize how distant some of those memories had become— how mired she’d been in the grit of her spy work, how far it kept her from Blake, and that when they saw each other briefly, it was akin to meeting a stranger.

_ ‘She looked so tired… She didn’t want to talk, not even about Adam.’ _

That should have been her hint.

No.

The hint came well before that: how welcoming Adam had been to her interest in spite of his age and rank as well as his role as her mentor and guardian.

The hint was there when it became Adam who curated who Blake saw and when, but Ilia had been too engrossed in her own insecurities and anger to see it.

All she’d seen was Blake in love. All she’d seen was someone who promised them justice and seemed ready to deliver.

So she'd squashed her concerns, or perhaps never even had them, convinced if it made Blake happy, it was for the best, lying to herself that the scent of blood and cries of war didn’t make her skin crawl.

She’d cut herself off when Blake was already being isolated and needed her most. Burying herself in her duties and seeking solace in affirmations from men who espoused not the faith of her ancestors, not comfort or wisdom, but in adherence to ‘their’ cause, no matter the cost.

_ ‘And now, because I never noticed, because I ignored it, Blake has paid the price, one way or the other.’ _

Her eyes stung but Ilia blinked the tears away.

She could cry later.

When she’d redeemed herself. If that was even possible.

‘ _ Only when the traitors are brought to justice can I show myself to the Belladonnas and beg their forgiveness. Only then can I ask for High Leader Khan’s forgiveness. Only then… Only then will I be able to tell Blake everything… When it's too late to matter, and I’m too late to help… _ ’

Ilia slipped down beside a stairwell and braced, knowing their enemy was not far away.

_ ‘I’ll make things right, Blake. I promise.’ _

* * *

Sienna flung herself onto the rooftop and snapped, “Report?”

Laffa dropped her scope, hasty and sharp, “Two Faunus, one of feline and the other with simian traits, got by the perimeter and entered the warehouse. A firefight broke out!”

‘ _ Curse it _ !’ Her gaze snapped to the warehouse, “Are they alive?”

“We think so, High Leader-”

“All forces, maintain formations and move up; we’re moving in on-”

“I think one of them was the Belladonna girl!”

Sienna froze, eyes going so wide it hurt.

Ilia’s voice cried over the comms, “Blake!?”

Aura flooded her frame, the air shone crimson, tattoos flared with a writhing darkness as the light warped and Sienna’s body swelled with power.

Her roar was swallowed by the explosion that rocked the air as she launched herself from the rooftop.

* * *

Adam's foot crushed Blake's chest, pressing her against the floor. Her bones creaked and her lungs burned as she tried to suck in air but could only gag.The last she’d seen Sun, he had his back up against the wall, and her team? Her team wasn't coming?

Blush shone red as Adam held it above her blurry eyes, “Now tell me where that coward Sienna is!?”

Suddenly, Adam froze, hissing, “What-”

Then a wall exploded.

No.

Someone tore through the walls with a roar that sounded akin to an explosion.

“TRAITOR!”

Blake could barely see it as Adam readied his blade to unleash his Semblance only to lurch back. The crimson beacon was already upon him. Too fast! Too fast!

Adam was forced to cross his arms around himself in a hasty guard. Twin palm strikes crashed against him, and an explosion of Aura sent him tearing through the air and through the walls.

“Master Taurus!” his soldiers cried.

Blake’s chest heaved as she looked up at her savior and stilled.

‘ _ High Leader!? _ ’ She didn't— couldn't comprehend this. Nor could she comprehend the wide-eyed, nearly lost, look Sienna Khan was giving her.

Weakly reaching out, she whispered, “Blake?”

Then she saw it: a black glint careening towards the window. Semblance flaring, she shouted, “Move!” to the sound of shattered glass.

Sienna lunged forward and spun around to face her attacker, barely leaning out of the way of the black arrow. A pained grimace tore across her face as it clipped her side and crashed into the floor at her back.

“Well, that's annoying,” Roman hummed as he let loose a rocket shot.

Sienna slashed it from the air with Cerberus’s Whip while the gathered soldiers began to shoot at her, and another arrow tore through the window.

_ ‘What is going on!?’ _

* * *

“Sienna!” Adam howled, blurring out of the wound she’d carved in the wall, aura flashing black and red.

Sienna clasped a lightning dagger, letting a jolt of lightning run across her frame, and hurled herself over Adam, kicking off the catwalks and walls to gain some distance as all eyes fell upon her.

Sienna ducked below a shot from Adam, weaving Cerberus’s Whip around her arm as an added guard. Sniper shots tore through the glass, drawing the human and captain’s focus from her as they sought to defend themselves.

Sienna weaved around another blurred slash at the cost of some hair. She slashed an arrow from the air while she danced around the gunfire. Some tray bullets still managed to ricochet off her Aura.

“Damn, I don’t need your interference!” She snarled.

With a sharp slash, Sienna let loose the lighting dagger and embedded it into one of the walkways. The soldiers' shouts filled the air as she raced back to avoid Adam, hurling a Burn Blade over his shoulder and blowing out another catwalk's supports.

Adam cheered as her back crashed against the wall. He raised his blade high. She slashed at the supports above, and the last catwalk came crashing down, giving her the opportunity to gain some distance.

_ ‘His Semblance is charged, and I’m outnumbered! _ ’ Aura coursed through her body. The Dust lining her skin hummed with power, but her mind was foggy and her eyes ached. ‘ _ I’m tired…’ _ She realized all too late as Adam charged towards her.

Re-sealing Cerberus’s Whip, Sienna fell into a clawed combat stance, fangs bared, “Come then, traitor! You and your curs!”

Adam stalled, fangs gnashing as he spat, “You think I can’t handle you alone?” a sharp cackle escaped him. “I’m the one who put you on that throne, Sienna! You were nothing more than a holdover from a dying generation of weak fools, blessed with my title while I travelled the world and coated myself in glory!”

The words stung but hardly as much as these last few weeks of betrayal. “Were you always this deranged, or did selling yourself and your followers to human masters rob you of your sanity?”

“I sold nothing!” He howled, “Now stay out of this, all of you!” His gaze snapped over his shoulder to where the archer must be hiding.

“Hail, Master Taurus!”

Sienna almost took the chance to strike, but she couldn't— not to one she’d trained and coaxed through wounds— not to one of her own. So Cerberus’s Whip remained locked around her arm. 

She instead focused on flooding her frame with Aura, clothes billowing around her as she prepared for Adam’s charge as he turned on her, a maddened smirk on his lips.

He moved in an instant, shadows spilling from his frame as they tried to swarm her.

_ ‘I know this technique, brat!’ _

Sienna charged forward, claws tearing through figments as she sought the true one. The air howled. Her hands shot out to crash against his wrist as he brought the blade down.

His Semblance's strength flared, and Sienna unleashed a pulse of Dust-infused Aura. A moment later, they were on the move again. A sharp spin, a quick turn and their duel raced across the chamber, too fast for the soldiers to even follow!

* * *

Blake pulled Sun to his feet as the other Faunus tried to shake off his dizziness, “Sun we have to go-aah”

A black blur sent her crashing to the ground. Blake's eyes went wide at the sight of flared bat wings and a hauntingly smooth voice. “Master needs you here,” he rasped, wrapping his hands around her throat as the remains of her Aura screeched under his grasp.

“Blake!” Sun shouted, only for another of Roman’s piercing shots to halt his path. 

A familiar shriek hit Blake’s ears as the window above exploded and Lightning Lash struck Yuma’s back!

Blake used the chance to Shadow Step out from under him, delivering a kick to his chest that launched him back with a crack until he flared his wings.

Ilia landed between them, blade-whip at the ready.

“Ilia?”

“It’s OK, Blake. We're here now.”

That drew a chuckle from Yuma “That’s why nothing will be OK, novice,” he whispered before flaring his wings and charging forward.

Just as Blake made ready to charge Roman, the doors to the warehouse collapsed inward. 

She stilled at the sight of those gleaming weapons. 

Four master-crafted spears and two high-calibre rifles. 

Their wielders stood in perfect formation, Aura’s shining and blending together as though one, as a new wave sniper shells began raining down.

“The High Guard!” The captain roared.

“Who!?” Roman snapped.

His answer was a wave of bullets and blistering Burn Beams that lanced through the crowd of gathered soldiers, forcing them to scurry. Even Roman Roman and the captain were forced to avoid the blasts that melted their way through all they touched.

All the while, Sienna and Adam tore across the battleground. Stones and steel were shattered and carved asunder by their clash.

In the distance, an engine roared.

* * *

“Blaaaake!” Yang’s cry echoed through the alleyways as Neptune let loose plasma bolts at the White Fang… firing into the warehouse?

Their outliers brought up shields but as Yang swerved at them they were forced to leap into the air to avoid her bike and Yang hurled herself off, leaving Bumblebee to skid down the path as she launched herself into the warehouse, Neptune shooting passed her with his Semblance to Sun’s side.

Some White Fang goons got in her way, but Yang hurled those in her way aside and weaved around their shots.

“Archer!” Blake shouted, forcing herself to stand despite the obvious pain.

Yang heard glass shatter and launched herself into the air, barely barely avoiding a black arrow as it made a crater where her feet had been.

Then something roared.

Yang let loose another shot and launched herself out of the way of a chainsaw-blade.

“Calling in Huntresses?” The towering wall of muscles growled, “Sienna must be desperate!”

Blake let loose covering fire to hold down some of the White Fang as those outside seemed to scatter. Yang was left to face down the roaring captain as Sun and Neptune charged Torchwick who cackled behind a wall of fire. 

* * *

Metal clashed as Adam swung Wilt and it crashed against Sienna’s metal bound arm.

‘ _ Even with the blows landed against me, his Semblance will have to run low shortly!’ _

Before Adam could even blink, she delivered a violent claw strike to his kidneys, sending him hissing back as his clothes tore.

He wasn’t idle for long, letting loose a shot that Sienna had to flip her way around, followed by another barrage of blinding crimson slashes as Adam charged her.

The ground around them was scattered and torn, pit falls, and rubble lay everywhere as gun fire and shockwaves filled the warehouse.

_ ‘Where are my High Guard _ !?’ Her heart ached at the thought of another betrayal.

Sienna blocked Adam’s executioner's swing, both arms crossed over her head. But when she felt Wilt pulse and thrum with power, she was forced to fling herself down to get enough leverage to only be struck by the edges of the blistering charged blast.

She knew Adam’s next move and easily weaved around the shot, then dodged the ensuing stab, delivering a powerful strike to his gut that nearly doubled him over before he called on his Semblance and slashed.

Ducking low, she tore at his side. Blush clipped her in retort before they rounded on one another again. Sienna’s skin felt hazy, her mind hazy, ‘ _ A lightning charge? No, I can’t risk Dust now. My focus is too scattershot!’ _

Even as she thought and planned their exchange continued in a flash of blurs and crashing of metal, accompanying the roars and cackles of battle that were already filling the chamber.

Sienna ducked below another crimson slash and crashed her head against Adam’s nose before he could fire, drawing a snarl, “Stop that!”

Sienna reared back with a smirk, “I taught you much, Adam.”

‘ _ And your style has barely changed since you discovered your Semblance _ ,’ she wanted to add, but there was no need for him to realize that fact.  _ ‘Ancestors know I warned him of overreliance on it enough! _ ’

Adam howled as he raced towards her, “You taught me nothing! I never needed your help!’

Sienna’s ears rose as twin engines, too clean and powerful to be mere street vehicles, hit her senses and-

“Freeze, terrorists! In the name of Atlas!”

Shrapnel and rubble showered them as an Atlesian Dropship blasted out the tattered roof by the force of its whirling blades.

Sienna’s eyes flew wide as she saw the release chamber opening. She skidded back, Burn Blades in hand, when a black arrow tore into the heart of the airship and-

Screamed.

It was a terrible sound, like the dying wail of tormented spirits.  An explosion of fire and melting steel followed as the Atlesian Knights were torn to shreds while the Specialists hurled themselves into the nominal safety of the warehouse, only a little scuffed.

‘ _ Oh, him _ ,’ Sienna mused, seeing the Specialist she had dueled on the transports, ‘Vester’ she thought, recalling the stolen crew’s itinerary.

The other, she knew by reputation, Clover Ebi, Ironwood’s personal protégé, stout but strong, with military brand hair and an odd array of weapons. He drew forth a fishing rod even as he shouted into his communicator, “They have an archer providing cover!”

His warning came too late however as Sienna heard two more explosions in the distance sending the approaching Atlesian vessels crashing into nearby warehouses.

Sienna heard the blow before it landed, launching herself around Adam’s craven strike from her blind spot and snarling as she clawed her way through his retort fire. She struck him across the face with a violent crack of Aura that sent him skidding across the floor.

However, Sienna’s charge was blocked by Vester’s, and she could feel Clover zeroing in on her as she braced to deal with the nearer threat.

That was when the battle shifted again.

* * *

“Backup's here!” a maniacal voice cackled from behind Clover.

He barely dodges a light strike as a dark-skinned faunus with coarse blonde hair in camo clothes came at him with open palms adorned with metal claws.

_ ‘Fast. But I’m faster!’ _

He flipped his way over them intent on letting loose a restraint when he heard metal crying and Dust humming. Cold steel coiled around his ankle and he followed it up to a prosthetic tail adorning the Faunus’s back. With a flick, it slammed him into the cement, the ground caving in beneath him.

“Humans always forget the tail,” they said, poised as if on all fours and ready to pounce

Clover heard the Dust hum but smirked as the Faunus shrieked and snapped back, “A short circuit? Now!?”

Clover let loose a set of bolas that the Faunus tried to duck under only to see it latch onto their face.

_ ‘That’ll keep you-’ _ His thought froze when he heard metal wail and crunch as the Faunus’s jaw unhinged and they swallowed the restraint, cutting through the Dust infused tethers with their teeth and sucking them up like noodles.

Spreading their legs and baring their claws, tail lashing, they hissed, “Got another one on ya, human?”

Clover smirked, “Yeah, there’s more where that came from.”

And they charged.

* * *

“Die!” Vester howled. He was much slower than Adam, let alone those arrows. 

Sienna leaned out the way of his swing -careful of the wound she’d sealed shut- and captured his wrists, in an easy motion.

She slammed a fist into his kidney before levering him into the air. With a roar, she hurled him into the wall she’d sent Adam through when the battle first began.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Adam howled and threw himself at her as another arrow flew her way.

Her side screamed as she contorted her way around Adam and the arrow. She skidded along the floor, claws dragging through ruined cement to slow her path.

Familiar voices cried, “Reinforce High Leader Khan!” as her High Guards returned, all looking worse for wear. Jade now bore an Atlesian-style gun, a clear sign of what had held her forces up.

“Deal with Adam’s traitors! They're trying to flee!” Sienna barked, falling into a defensive stance as blood ran down her side and Adam blurred towards her.

Sienna’s gaze fell upon the scattered arrows and recalled the wreckage of the drop-ship. 

Could the archer's Semblance-

* * *

Yang’s chest was heaving. Despite Blake’s covering fire, the goons had proved enough of a distraction for the big guy to get in more licks than she’d have otherwise let him. Her Semblance was burning for release, but she couldn’t find the right time to use it, not when he had an unerring way of escaping her worst blows.

_ ‘His Semblance must let him preempt attacks, or maybe sharpen his reflexes?’ _

Blake had since taken to fighting as many soldiers as she could, but her Aura had been flagging when Yang arrived. They needed to get out!

The chain-sword roared but Yang’s mind was called elsewhere when she heard a too familiar scream with a cry of “Die!”

Her gauntlet blocked the worst, but she was sent careening backwards. It was then she saw it. An Atlesian soldier looming over Blake who twitched and convulsed. His crackling lightning blade told Yang all she needed.

He raised the blade above his head, and Yang’s world exploded.

“ **Get away from her!** ” The floor melted. The earth shook. Yang shone gold, rocketing passed the Faunus already en-route, Yang charged.

He tried to counter but Yang deflected his blade with Ember Celica, only a brief shock running across her Aura before catching his wrist in an iron grip. She heard something creak and let loose her barrage. A dozen flaming blows left shockwaves and flames in the air. Only when she felt his Aura giving way did she release him, her last blow sending him crashing into the wall, Aura fading in a flash of yellow.

“Bla-”

“Move!”

Blake’s arms snaked around her, and Yang felt the world blur as Blake tackled her out of the way of a red beam that shattered one of the remaining walls. The bull Faunus, cursing Blake’s name before getting tackled by the tiger striped woman in red.

Blake sagged against her, near limp, and Yang bundled her partner up in her arms, “It’s OK. We're gonna get out of here," she swore.

Then she heard the chain-sword and saw a flash of rose petals.

“Ice Tornado to the rescue!” Ruby cheered as the duo unveiled themselves in a shower of rose petals and ice… It was a spectacular show of Semblances and Aura control, a sign of the battle shifting.

But all the chain-sword's wielder saw was-

“SCHNEE!”

* * *

Cinder looked upon the battlefield in all its chaos from behind her disguise of glass and hid a sigh at the approaching Atlesian Drop ships.

The ambush was a failure, that much was clear. 

Still, the High Leader, a Schnee, Atlesians, plus some fresh-faced young Hunters…

_ ‘There won’t be a better time to clear the board I suppose.’ _

With that she held her hand aloft, the lashing, furious hunger inside her burnt its way up from the depths of her soul and across her frame. Every synapse, every cell burnt and screamed as she touched the arrows and let her power fuel the lingering sparks within.

* * *

Sienna heard the hissing and charcoal touched her senses.

“All forces fall back!”

* * *

Ruby knew those screams. She'd heard them once before.

“Run!”

The circles of fire crescendo-ed as Ruby grabbed at Sun and hoisted the wounded boy into the air with her as the flames devoured her Semblance.

* * *

“Sienna, get back here!” Adam howled, ignoring the messages flooding his communicator to fall back.

Adam snarled as he saw his soldiers scarpering alongside Roman, who only hung back long enough to coil his cane around the captain’s neck, dragging the enraged Faunus after him.

His gaze snapped to Blake in the blonde’s arms as the arrows started to scream and someone grabbed him, pulling him into the air.

“Blaaaake!”

* * *

Clover snagged up Vester with his fishing rod and leapt towards an approaching drop ship, “Fall back!”

* * *

Cinder’s power flared, and the explosions tore through the air. Great pillars of fire surged upwards like geysers, unleashing waves of heat that turned cement into a burning slurry, spreading across the surrounding warehouses and igniting the Dust within, unleashing a whole new wave of destruction upon those who tried to flee.

“It’s time to go,” Cinder muttered, her face the picture of calm save for the faint, subtle tension in her lips hiding how she ground her teeth.

_ ‘Too slow, if I had all my power I would not need to resort to this trickery!’ _

She did not notice the way Neo’s gaze fell harshly upon her back as they escaped followed by Emerald while Mercury dragged Adam to their rendezvous point.

* * *

The warehouse district was growing brighter by the minute even as the flames faded as police and soldiers swarmed towards the explosion. 

Through her stinging wounds Sienna snapped orders and hoisted Niram over her shoulder, the blast had knocked the wounded High Guard out cold and she would leave no one behind! 

“Through here, the cars are waiting!”

“But High Leader, the drop ships!” Ilia shouted over the growing din of the sirens. 

“I know,” she pressed the communicator and ordered, “Unleash the flares!”

A popular tool of Atlas, stolen and re-purposed to their needs, the flares were ignited one after the other across the district. Bursting from nondescript crates, garbage piles and bins, they tore into the sky and screamed like fireworks before unleashing explosive flashes of light that left even her own forces screaming as they hurled themselves into a van.

Ube took the driver’s seat and Sienna left Niran in Ilia’ and Maize’s care. Clawing her way into the front seat and pressing herself against the door to hide and stymie the bleeding.

“Take the third route, there’s a tunnel we can use to get out,”

“Yes, High Leader!”

In the back she could hear her soldiers hissing and cringing, “Fuck my eyes!” Maru shouted. “I thought that shit was meant to hurt humans, not us?” Shaleh groaned.

“Mammals, so unprepared,” Maize chuckled without humor as they cleaned Niran’s wounds with the deft hand of a field medic.

“Not everyone has a second set of eyelids,” Ube cut in. 

Their forced jocularity lost on Sienna as she focused on the trials at hand. She kept one hand clamped on her arrow wound, Aura seizing around it to keep the blood from spilling out as she ground her teeth and snarled into her communicator, “Jade, Laffa?”

“We pulled out once we ran out of ammo High Leader, we’re at the evac point!”

Sienna sagged back, “Good, good… Keep watch for us.”

“As you say, High Leader!”

Sienna’s chest was heaving, ribs cracking with every breath; her head dizzying, a darkness encroached upon the edges of her senses even as her body hummed with alertness born of pain. Her ears were ringing from the blast, so much that she had to ‘think’ just to not miss words.

“Any ideas?” Maize asked, oddly restrained and tense.

Sienna forced her eyes open to their fullest even with the sting on them and grunted, “Repeat that?” Hoping it sounded like a demand for clarification rather than confusion.

Maize looked up from Niran whom was laying in their lap and frowned. “I… I didn’t like fighting that Specialist, he did something to my tail, it kept short circuiting or not grabbing and lashing right.”

_ ‘Of course, they usually deal with Grimm…’ _

Sienna could feel the blood running down her hand, but sucked in a breath, letting the stretching of the wounded skin force her to wakefulness as she spoke.

“It would most likely be a Semblance,” She rasped. “Aura injections into a foes weapon could perhaps work as a technique but… It is most likely a Semblance given what you describe.” She kept her breaths low and tight to not alert anyone. “Most likely something to do with code or electricity, but probability manipulation or some form of ghostly touch are also possible.”

“Well someone else can fight the lucky bastard next time, give me a less ridiculous opponent,” their tail tapping against the steel floor. 

“Their Semblance likely affects all foes in similar manners, your tail is not unique in this regard, but you’ll be returning to scout work soon enough, so fret not.”

“High Leader, we’re at the evac point, no sign of trespassers,” Ube murmured.

Sienna glared out into the din and nodded, “Rig the car to explode and ready everyone to move, is Niran-”

“Still breathing, but she’s really out of it, that blast… That blast was terrible…” Ilia murmured.

Sienna wanted to console her but knew her hands were caked in blood and it would only distress the small Faunus. She was relieved when Maize at least offered Ilia an affirming arm around the shoulder, guiding her out of the van.

Laffa and Jade raced out to join them, taking Narim on a stretcher, while Shale let Maru lean on him to walk as they limped out of the car. Sienna trying to subtly keep weight off her injured leg and letting her cape obscure her wounds.

“Move quickly and surely, leave no trace.” 

“As you say High Leader,” They answered quietly. 

Sucking in a breath, she spoke with a raw confidence and strength she did not have, “Know this, warriors, you all fought well; we denied our enemy their victory and learnt of their abilities. This was a hard-won lesson, but you all have reason for pride. Now, move!”

With that said, they ducked into the foul, odorous sewers and sealed it behind them with a few Stone Dust Crystals. Tte sound of the van exploding a distant echo to Sienna’s ears as they disappeared into the veins of the city.

Ilia was just behind her and whispered, “High Leader, did you see if-”

“Yes. Blake escaped Ilia. I saw her allies on the rooftops.”

Ilia sagged, but Sienna could sense tension in her tone. “She… She didn’t come back to us.”

“Would you?” Sienna countered.

“I… But a Sch-”

“Yes,” Sienna cut her off, “We will look into that soon enough. For now, simply enjoy knowing another of our people yet lives, though Adam and his human masters would wish it otherwise.”

“Yes, High Leader, as you say.”

* * *

RWBY and their erstwhile accomplices hadn’t made it far from the explosion before the Atlesian ships and police arrived. 

Only Weiss’s acidic words and threats of the SDC, in conjunction with Ruby, Yang and Neptune refusing to lay down their arms or step away from “The Faunus” had managed to keep them all together.

Sun was groaning as medics coldly tended to his and Neptune’s wounds, while their team clustered around Blake who drifted between wakefulness and sleep, her head resting in Yang’s laps.

“I’m… Sorry…” She rasped.

They couldn’t be sure if she was speaking to them, but Ruby and Weiss each took a hand while Yang stroked her hair and soothed the bruises lining her body.

“It’s OK,” they promised.

“It’s going to be OK.”

* * *

Nothing was OK, and nothing had gone right. 

The night had been nothing but a cascading disaster! 

Any semblance of control she’d had vanished the moment she’d rushed in and it was only a confluence of chances that had allowed them an escape.

Sienna’s steps were weak and unsteady as she staggered into her fortified room. 

She collapsed against a seat at her projector table. Her hair still wet from the shower and her wounds now sealed, but the pain lingered still from her rough treatment in the battle. Her very Aura was raw, and her migraine had only grown worse.

_ ‘I was too tired, I rushed in, this is all my fault.’ _

Her eyes perked up when she saw the projector flash on and then her heart stilled. Voice caught in her throat as Kali’s familiar visage flickered before her.

“Sienna,” Kali greeted, with a nod and a fair smile that quickly grew stern as she must have been seeing Sienna’s deplorable state.

Sienna forced herself to sit up straight, hands at ease on the arms rests as she held herself with as much regal demeanor as she could muster.

“How may I be of service?”

“Don’t, please don’t, Sienna; I’m not calling as anyone but Kali,” her brow knitted together as she leaned closer to the screen, her projection growing larger as she did so.

“I see…” she needed to send her away, needed to focus on her work. But before she could even force herself to try, Kali spoke.

“You don’t look well, Sienna.”

Sienna shrugged, pushing a smirk onto her face, “There was a battle, but we all survived.”

Kali tensed and Sienna knew what was coming.

“Was Blake there?” Her voice was not cracking but there was a sharp twang of worry and dread.

Sienna couldn’t lie, not to Kali. 

She bowed her head and whispered, “She was, but she made it out and under guard.” She looked up at Kali and with all the force of will and strength she could muster she promised, “She’s no longer with Adam, has not been for some time. She’s away now, but she’s safe.”

Kali practically crumpled right there, “Oh Ancestors, thank you, Sienna, I…” She swallowed and in an instant, she was back under control, and looking upon Sienna with a worry she hadn’t seen since her last grievous wounding… Or all those she’d received during the war and-

Sienna stopped herself and focused on the now, and on Kali.

They lingered in silence for a time, before Kali spoke, “Ceto left today. They couldn’t tell me much of your work, or how things are going, but it seems like they were up at all hours. I had to force them to sleep on some occasions.”

“We’re fighting a war, Kali, things can be hectic at any time.”

That had evidently been the wrong thing to say given how Kali’s frown grew.

_ ‘I recognize that look.’ _

“I know what it means to fight, Sienna. I also know an exhausted army is a useless one. Tell me…” her voice grew soft. “How long since you slept?”

Sienna shrugged, “This morning?”

Kali huffed, “For how long? And what was the last time you got more than a twenty-minute refresher nap.”

Sienna huffed, throat rumbling, “… Before all this began.”

“That’s over two weeks!” Kali hissed.

“My Aura-”

“Your Aura can handle physical exhaustion, your mind still needs rest! Even if,” Kali cut herself off and hissed. “Ancestors you’re doing something foolish to keep yourself centered aren’t you?”

“What do you want from me, Kali?” Sienna countered, her voice too rough, too sharp, never speak to Kali like that! “I… I’m sorry.”

“No, it's fine, you’re exhausted… But Sienna, you need rest. Now.”

Sienna did not answer.

“Please Sienna, you can’t lead like this…”

Sienna’s head fell, her body shaking, claws running through her hair, dragging along her ears and long hidden scars as she shuddered and snarled, “It seems like I cannot lead at all.”

Kali’s hand reached out on instinct only to fade from the projector, her voice was heavy. “Sienna… You accept other people’s faults but demand perfection from yourself; that isn’t fair on you. Please, I’m begging you, rest.”

Sienna looked up at her, subtle shivers and twitches running across her frame, hair a matted mess and voice rough, “You don’t understand… I can feel it, Kali, the entire world, everyone on it, everything we’ve built… It’s all dancing on a knife’s edge, but I don’t know who is holding the blade.”

“You won’t find them like this though.”

“I can’t leave my troops…. My mission… Not now, not like this.”

“You have commanders for a reason, you can make an excuse, set an alert signal if you’re needed-”

She shot forward, “What if I am betrayed again?” Claws dung into her palms, “What if I fail you again?”

“Me?”

Sienna fell back in her chair, “Blake lives but she is rogue from any side in this war.” She bit her cheek. “I trusted her to Adam, and he took advantage of her, wounded her and left her running as far from us as she could.” Sienna could see the pain and dread in Kali’s gaze, “I’ll rest when I fix this… I have ways to fight through this.”

“None that won’t harm you,” Kali countered. “And if my daughter’s already been wounded, I don’t want to see you hurt trying to right a wrong that wasn’t your own.”

“But I-”

“Then what did Ghira and I do? We couldn’t stop Blake and when she got to you, we did not take her back. We knew Adam as well, Sienna and none of us thought,” Kali hissed, “None of us expected any of this!”

“But I was there-”

“And running an army!” Kali held up a hand, “I am not saying we did not fail her. But this… This will not help. It will not stop treason in its tracks or cast down your new enemies. You fought tonight, yes?”

“Yes?”

“Was it a great battle, dangerous and brutal?”

“Yes…”

“Then you will need to lay low, won’t you?”

Sienna rubbed her aching eyes, “Yes, I know, but I have other duties that my soldiers do not.”

“Irrelevant,” Kali’s hands form an X over her chest. “Ceto can handle the wider running of things for a few days, curse it, I can help coordinate with Ghira and others if you need it.”

Sienna slowly slid down her chair, “Neither of you are generals and Ceto will not want others acting in my stead, even themself.”

“Ceto has revered you ever since the raid on the Hidden Cove, they’re biased.”

“And you aren’t?” Something like humor leaking into her tone.

“Oh, terribly biased, but I am also right. Get some sleep Sienna, we can have someone watch over you if need be, but rest.”

Sienna’s eyes sank closed.

“You win… you are correct… I shall put our local works on standby and observation and,” She yawned, fangs glinting in the light, as her volume nearly shook the air. “Recuperate.”

Kali’s sigh of relief brought something like joy to Sienna’s heart and vexation that she had caused her such stress.

“I am sorry for worrying you.” She was meant to be beyond such weaknesses now, or at least to appear so, but Kali had been a scout and a Spiritualist in days gone by and knew Sienna better than maybe anyone.

“Sienna, never apologize for your dedication and zeal,” Kali offered gently. “They are some of your most admirable traits.” 

Kali chuckled, “At least when you’ve got someone to pull you back from charging into a battleship alone and unarmed with no Aura to speak of.”

“Once…” Sienna groaned, forcing herself to her feet and leaning on the table.

Her head pressed against Kali’s hologram and though she could not feel her, she could see, could sense Kali’s mimicking the gesture as a kindness.

“Thank you, Kali, for being there for me.”

“Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, so this was meant to be a shorter chapter, would you believe that if I told you? it was I swear! Then after several up till 3am writing sessions it suddenly wasn’t XD Whcih may also have played a role in why it was turned into two chapters in editing but whatever the case I hope it proved a fun read! As always, massive thanks to my beta reader NotHarold who was a real champ about all of the whole process. 
> 
> This chapter had some unique challenges in the form of so many POVs to juggle and especially the battle scene. It was pretty interesting as well to write familiar scenes but with different contexts informing them, I hope the changes worked.
> 
> Also I am really glad I remembered I had wanted to include an Ilia scene as this was gonna be my last chance to do it with the presumption that Blake was dead going on. I also initially planned for Adam and Sienna to talk more, but the pace of the battle didn’t really lend itself to that I’m afraid. Also Sienna kinda going through Blake’s V2 arc here, a fact I had only half noticed/intended then realized I’d gone all in on with the final scene.
> 
> For reference I am not trying to make the Oz conspiracy look malicious with this media management stuff, but I do feel it lines up with canon and they aren’t meant to be always upfront in universe people anyway. In the early episodes we have Glynda insisting they are in an era of peace to students, an idea Qrow later insists in coming to an end. We see their groups focus on either heavy handed force (Ironwood) & concern regarding the reactions of the people & their focus on keeping things calm above all, so them doing this felt believable to me.
> 
> Anyway thanks for reading, any feedback, questions, critique or insights and theories are most welcome!


	5. A New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the wake of the last battle all sides are left licking their wounds; but that won’t stop the world from turning.

Lisa Lavender’s tone was both stern and calming as she read out the news, images of a single burnt-out warehouse projected on the screen behind her.  
  
 _“Late last night, estimated at between nine PM and ten thirty PM, there was an accident in the southern sector of the warehouse district that led to a small explosion.”  
  
Images of Atlas personnel working alongside local police and human dock workers flashed on screen.  
  
“Fortunately, no one was harmed and Vale’s own police, as well as Atlesian experts were on the scene in short orders, mitigating any serious damage.”  
  
The screen zoomed in on Vale’s chief of police and at his side was a handsome brunette in an Atlesian military vest, smiling for the cameras.  
  
“We believe a loose fuse near a crate of Dust served to agitate the crystals which had not been properly insulated. We will naturally be having experts look over the rest of the district for any other potential risks and caution all who work in handling Dust to practice proper safety procedures.”  
  
“Honestly,” The Atlesian said, jovially, “we’re lucky it was more flash than substance. But you can’t always rely on luck and given the Dust was shipped from Atlas, General Ironwood had already footed the bill for the repairs and will look into things on our end as well.”  
  
The screen cut back to Lisa Lavender, who said, “Thank you commissioner Cobalt and Specialist Ebi. Now, onto other news, this year’s Vytal Festival is shaping up to be...”_  
  
Her press coverage continued unabated, the public were informed and left secure with the knowledge peace and cooperation still reigned.  
  
Never mind that the cameras seemed to be doing all they could to show nothing else of the docks.  
  
That the explosion had been seen from a mile away and was largely agreed to have been “huge”.  
  
Or that no one barring specific stations were allowed anywhere near the district while Atlesian soldiers patrolled with police, kicking in warehouse doors as if searching for something beyond loose wires.  
  
There was no cause to fear.

Really.  
  


* * *

  
Within the grand chamber atop Beacon Tower, Ozpin stood facing the window.  
  
Standing at attention at his back, were Glynda Goodwitch, Clover Ebi and James Ironwood.  
  
“We aren’t uncovering anything useful in the warehouse district,” Ironwood muttered. Barely glancing up from his Scroll as he scanned report after report hoping for a different answer.   
  
Glynda and Ozpin’s gazes slid from Ironwood to his Specialist, forcing the captain to step forwards.

Shrugging and plastering an easy grin on his features he continued the report, “Even with supreme warrants granted by the councils it looks as though whoever’s been using the warehouses scarpered. Based on what we have found all evidence points to that happening days or even weeks ago. We’ve turned up some weapons and drug running ops but they’re all for local gangs, but nothing on the White Fang or other anomalies.”  
  
“Well at least we’re making the streets safer,” Ozpin said casually.  
  
“They won’t be very safe if the White Fang and their masters set whatever scheme they’ve been concocting into motion,” Ironwood countered, snapping his Scroll shut.   
  
Glynda frowned, “While I don’t care for the generals’ tone, he has a point. Maybe we should expand our search to encompass the ships docked for the Vytal Festival as well? I don’t care for how easily these Faunus are slipping through our grasp.”  
  
Ozpin’s tone was nearly dull and almost tired as he spoke, “If we go that far the public will begin to suspect something is wrong.”  
  
“Something is wrong though, Oz,” Ironwood cut in.

That only drew a sigh from the headmaster, “And what will we say then?” The pale mane countered. “How wo we justify needing to break in the door of every ship and home across Vale without causing a panic?”

Ozpin tilted his head to the side, “If they were in any of the nearby vessels, I can doubtlessly assure you they will have run the moment the explosion went off, leaving nothing but more questions for us.”  
  
It was, surprisingly, Clover who spoke up next, “There is a reason the White Fang has been able to raid and attack us for five years. Say what you will about their politics, they aren’t easy to catch.”  
  
Ironwood’s glare sent his soldier back as he snapped, “Which is why we should be trying harder!”  
  
“In what direction, on what path and with whom, James?” Ozpin argued, “We need information before we can act.” He turned to Glynda in search for a new topic, “Speaking of which, how are our young interlopers? Mayhap they can shine some light on this for us?”  
  
Glynda steeled her shoulders and nodded, “I interviewed the two members of team SSSN, but their information was… scattershot and rather vague. Though we can confirm they were investigating the White Fang and Roman Torchwick. Neither seemed to know much in the way of details however; having apparently joined team RWBY’s outing without asking for details.”  
  
She brought up her Scroll and perused her notes, “As to team RWBY, I interviewed, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long together. As Specialist Ebi reported, miss Rose and miss Schnee arrived late to the battle and may know little, however their presence and behavior since indicates they were all equal parts in this plan and may know more than they are willing to say.”

“I take it the interview s didn’t go well?” Ozpin asked with a tilt of his head.

“Interview sir, I kept them together and as to how it went…”  
  


* * *

  
“We were just-” Weiss stilled as Yang’s hand stretched out to hover between the heiress and Glynda, leaving Weiss to slip back into her chair with a flourish as though she’d never spoken.

Glynda repressed a sigh.  
  
The interview was not… Going well.  
  
The office she’d chosen was the nearest to the infirmary, the lighting was pleasant, and she’s given the team chairs, drinks and was ‘trying’ to be gentle.  
  
What she got in response was stonewalling, all orchestrated by miss Xiao Long, who eyed her and more, the man sitting next to her, with open suspicion.  
  
Her attempts to engage Ruby had been met with the redhead refusing to meet her gaze and biting her lips, looking to her big sister and then trailing off into mumbling.  
  
Weiss, she had thought would answer her, but the heiress’s frustration at seemingly everything was clear, as was her ceding authority to miss Xiao Long, seemingly the most experienced in these matters.  
  
‘ _And I know why of course_ ,’ she thought. Gkynda knew full well the blonde had for than a few encounters with the police; mostly thanks to her uncle, and once or twice due to offended parties attacking her, be they gangs or students she’d shown up in combat school.  
  
“Take us, to Blake.” the blonde said, voice dead of inflection.  
  
“Miss Xiao Long, we just have some questions for you,” Glynda repeated.  
  
Yang’s hand fell away, letting Weiss speak up sharply, “Professor, we think it would be best if we did this interrogation with our teammate.”  
  
“Hey now, who said anything about an integration,” The Atlesian Specialist chimed in, arms folded over the back of his swivel chair as he looked at the young trainees.  
  
“Then we can leave and go to Blake?” Yang asked, standing up and making for the door.  
  
“She’s recovering.”  
  
“You said you needed to get her in a hospital gown and inspect her wounds, it’s been long enough. Take us to Blake,” Yang repeated.   
  
“When we finish talking,” Clover said.  
  
“So, this is an interrogation?” Ruby asked, before ducking her head down at their shared gaze and chuckling nervously.  
  
Glynda could feel a headache coming on and said, “You can see your team mate soon.”  
  
“Now, now, they just wanna see her right?” Clover asked jovially as he pulled out his Scroll with a chirp, “We can arrange that!”

After some rapid key taps, a projected image of Blake flashed into the air, drawing each of the girls wide eyed focus.

As Glynda had hoped, Blake was docile and napping, ears only twitching faintly at the sounds of the orderly holding up their Scroll.  
  
“It’s on mute, but you can see her, right?” Clover asked.  
  
Yang leaned over the desks, brows furrowed, her teammates watching Blake and her reaction in equal measure as Yang seemed to count the breaths, the motions, everything to make sure it wasn’t looped footage.  
  
Finally, she flopped back I her chair, “We should wait for Blake to wake up and do this together.”  
  
“I mean, I don’t think she’d mind us talking a little,” Ruby mumbled. “At least enough so that next time you guys don’t point guns at her.” There was a sudden, sharp edge to her gaze that had been missing a moment before.  
  
“That was a mis-communication, you had Faunus-” Glynda started.  
  
“Our teammate and a… Um, hmm, friend of a friend?” Weiss guessed.  
  
“Acquaintance?” Yang offered.  
  
“Awe come on, he’s a friend, right?” Ruby asked.  
  
“Ruby, I’ve never actually spoken to him,” Yang countered, sounding disinterested in the topic as her gaze remained locked on the screen.  
  
“We are getting off topic,” Glynda cut in.  
  
“The point was,” Added Clover, “That we are sorry our teams were on high alert and took it out on you.”  
  
“Our teammates, not us, there’s a big difference,” Yang countered.  
  
“Be that as it may, they had cause to be suspicious. But-” Glynda hastened to add, “They were wrong, but the situation was hectic, and it was resolved easily enough.”  
  
“Ruby had to shoot at one when he tried to grab Sun!” Weiss snapped.  
  
Yang sent the heiress a look which was ignored.  
  
“We do need to talk at some point, Yang,” Ruby said, looking down and fiddling with her skirt.  
  
“Exactly,” Clover said jovially. “I’m sorry our officers were so suspicious. The take down of our dropships left them on edge, but they should have shown better tactical awareness and self-control. We’ll be talking about it with General Ironwood.”  
  
“But,” added, more sadly, “Comrades on our side were injured in that battle as well.” He sent Yang a look, “If they hadn’t been, our officers might not have been so on edge. Seeing an ally in danger or worse, injured can make people testy, as I’m sure you understand.”  
  
Ruby and Weiss leaned back, looking uncomfortable and seemingly gearing up to speak.  
  
Then Yang leaned forward, eyes flickering a bloody red.  
  
“That Specialist, Vesta, tried to execute Blake while she was lying on the floor too injured to move.” Her words grew hard and the air around her turned sweltering, “He screamed ‘Die Faunus’ when he swung too.”  
  
That set the tone of the conversation right back and Clover frowned, “I’ll talk with him about that, when he’s recovered at least. Which will take a while given the clobbering he got, let alone the explosion.”  
  
Glynda pushed her glasses up and said, “I think we need to start over.” She looked across team RWBY and said, “We’ve spoken to the boys, we know why you were there.”  
  
Glynda saw each of them looking ready to argue and pushed on sharply.  
  
“What we want is your side of the story,” She leaned forward, “we are on your side, none of you, nor Belladonna, nor the two you roped into this are in danger from us.”  
  
“What did the boys say?” Ruby asked.  
  
Glynda frowned, thinking back on it.  
  
 _“I’ll never talk- ow, ow, ow my arm, my-!” the Faunus shouted, cringing as his body twitched and throbbed from its litany of bruises and fractures.  
  
“Hey, the girls know more than we do,” Neptune said hastily. “We just wanted to see who was behind the Dust robberies. You know, like real Huntsmen! But uh, that’s all we know.”  
  
“And the White Fang hideout?”  
  
That earned a pained shrug from both before the blonde Faunus spoke up. “I dunno, I was asking about those stupid masks the White Fang all wear when we walked by a warehouse. I think Blake heard something inside, she went to look and got pulled in, then I went after her.”_  
  
They had pressed for more, but the Faunus had largely clammed up after that, only spouting inane trivia about travelling through Vale which all seemed equally irrelevant. He eventually plead a concussion with some potential truth behind it. Neptune mentioned a night club but couldn’t remember a name or even the street, and overall proved to only have a scattershot understanding of the battle he’d thrown himself into.  
  
Glynda returned her focus to the here and now, still grappling with how best to use what little she had and spoke with all the confidence and experience of someone who already knew what they needed.  
  
“We know you’re investigating the Dust robberies, again; careless of the dangers and despite still being students. We just want to know, what you know, to help us solve this problem.” Her tone grew sterned as she zeroed in on Ruby and added, “As well as why you didn’t bring this information straight to us.”  
  
Clover leaned forward and looked to Ruby specifically, his smile and tone were gentle and warm. “You’re not in trouble, just walk us through your day; who you met, what you remember being said, and what you thought.”  
  
Glynda didn’t know why Ruby gaze sharpened so, it was the opposite of what she would have expected from such a gentle approach.  
  
“Sorry sir, but I don’t know what you’re talking about, and as leader of Team RWBY, I insist we get to see our teammate before we answer any questions.”  
  
“Ruby…” Weiss whispered, looking confused, only receiving an affirming nod from the redhead and a quiet, “sorry” before she blushed and looked away from them again.  
  
Glynda could tell this was going to be a long interview.  
  


* * *

  
“I think it was a mistake to interview them as a group,” Glynda conceded. “The idea was to put them at ease, but it just compounded their more rebellious traits and while certainly comforted by each other’s presence, it just gave the confidence enough to give us little information.”

Glynda re-positioned her glasses and added, “I think Specialist Ebi was searching for something with Ruby as well which set her off and made the interview more difficult.”  
  
She sent the man a look and he waved it off, “I had hoped that getting her to go over the whole day would be broad enough for her to get comfortable and maybe slip up. But I guess she thought I knew something she didn’t want known?”  
  
Frowning, Glynda returned her gaze to Ozpin, “Be that as it may, all that we have learned is that they that were researching the Dust Robberies and got pulled into a fight. I know there is more to it than that, but they would not name any names, locations, sources or notable details.”  
  
She sighed, “They don’t seem to trust us with much beyond vagaries and generalities. Whether that was their reception from the Atlesian soldiers or Belladonna’s meddling making them see us as the enemy I cannot say.”  
  
Ozpin hummed, “I see… Well maybe we can try another time then. Once they have calmed down and had a chance to organize their thoughts. How did your interview with Blake go?”  
  
Glynda grimaced.  
  
“That badly hmm?”  
  
Ironwood coughed into his hand, “According to Clover she was very, ‘spirited’.”  
  
“That’s one way to put it,” Glynda grumbled, reflecting on that disastrous interrogation.  
  


* * *

Managing to keep team RWBY away from the infirmary had proven nearly impossible. Fortunately, they had shown them Blake would be sleeping and claimed she would be for some time.  
  
That was a lie.  
  
Or at least the fact Belladonna would be sleeping for some time was a lie.  
  
Glynda didn’t particularly like it, but Belladonna was easily nettled and Glynda did not need the rest of her team around stoking the Faunus’s disobedient nature.  
  
Given the nature of this interrogation, they needed the subject to be docile and ideally off balance, which meant that she had to be kept alone.  
  
With the team reassured and waiting not far from the medical bay, Glynda and Clover had used a back way into the infirmary and the room their erstwhile student was being kept in.  
  
Glynda’s steps were quiet, but her gaze still snapped to the Faunus’s ears and saw them twitching. Claws were dug into the sheets and Glynda could swear she heard growling, or maybe just purring coming from the Faunus.  
  
‘ _Territorial instincts_?’ she thought, shrugging it off and coughing into her hand, “Wake up, Belladonna.”  
  
The reaction was instant, ears twitched violent and their eyes flew open, too big and wild to be humans as the Faunus student pressed themselves into the mattress, a strangled gasp on their lips before they actually saw who was present.  
  
“My team?” Blake rasped. She looked terrible, sunken eyes, sickly, one arm in a sling and dark bruises and welts running across her frame.  
  
“Your teams fine and waiting to see you,” Clover said with an airy tone as he pulled up his chair and spun it around to lean on the headrest.  
  
“We, however, have some questions for you first, Belladonna,” Glynda added sternly, remaining on her feet and using her superior height to effectively remind Blake of their respective positions.  
  
Blake pressed herself into the bed, ears going flat and expression twisting, “I would like to see my team first,” her voice was still rough and Glynda could only assume a little muddled from the painkillers.  
  
“Blake, as your instructor I would advise that this is a delicate situation and we need to hear your words and your words alone.” She looked over her and focused on Blake’s ears that instantly pressed harder her head. “The docks incident has given weight to the idea that you are not a danger to your fellow students. However, your appearance at another White Fang related function is rather suspect and so we need details, Blake.”  
  
Clover leaned in, tone still light, but accompanied by a layer of seriousness, “We need to make sure you aren’t trying to join the White Fang, or an agent in some internal dispute, this is for your own good Blake.”  
  
Blake’s words were nearly garbled and growled, Glynda thought.  
  
“I wasn’t trying to join them, I was trying to stop them! I don’t want that kind of violence anywhere near Vale!”  
  
Clover hummed approvingly, patting the top of his chair’s back, “I have to say, I appreciate that kind of go getter attitude. It was,” he added, with a sterner tone, “very dangerous and risky for someone so young,” Leaning forward he smiled disarmingly. “But if you really want to help, then I think we can work something out.”  
  
Blake’s eyes slid into a sharp glare as she pressed into the mattress, “I think I can guess what you mean.”  
  
Clover chuckled, “You’re a sharp kid, I assumed you would; after all, you found out about this White Fang meeting spot well before even our experts did and we’ve been hounding them for years. If you loan us your sources or even advice, we could make some real headway and make Vale a safer place, for everyone.”  
  
His tone was friendly, his manner pleasant and his smile encouraging. For but a moment Blake almost seemed lost, not mesmerized but definitely drifting in thought before her golden, feline eyes looked to the quilt.  
  
“Is the Atlesian military still working with the SDC?” She asked quietly.  
  
Glynda could practically see the flash of tension run across Clover’s jawline and it seemed Blake did as well, no longer looking down but meeting the Specialists gaze with her own as if challenging him.  
  
In a bid to regain control of the tone, Clover leaned back, almost playfully swaying on his chair, before letting out a melodramatic sigh and leaning forward, hanging over it in a deliberately relaxed almost intimate manner, as one might with a friend.  
  
“I won’t lie to you Blake, the SDC and the Atlesian military do work together on some projects.”  
  
“Then the answer is no, sorry Specialist Ebi, but I cannot in good conscience put other people in danger by aiding the SDC, even indirectly,” she seemed genuinely sorry, but firm and resolute.  
  
“Look, I’m aware things aren’t exactly ideal in the SDC mines, but there are a lot of good people who work at the SDC too-”  
  
“Which doesn’t erase the deaths, the debt mines, the company towns, let alone prison workers and the abuses committed against the most vulnerable under the SDCs banner,” Blake countered, coldly, her voice dead of inflection or hostility.  
  
“But,” he stressed, still maintaining his easy tone, “The general is a good man and has to make compromises with sometimes less than stellar people for the common good. That’s what we’re all about here, making things better for everyone, but that means we all have to make some compromises.”  
  
“That is easy to say when you only have to compromise your morality,” Blake argued, her voice quiet but rough and sharp. “But for those you’re leaving to the likes of the SDC and so many others like them, it’s their freedom and very lives being traded away for pocket change.”  
  
“Humans work in those mines as well,” Clover countered, sounding resolute and even pleased by this point.  
  
“In protected and safe mines, with no Grimm, guards who treat them well and proper provisions, because the SDC can’t get away with shortchanging humans. They might a few Faunus in those to roll out whenever there’s a photo-op, but everywhere else?” Blake snorted, “Cave ins, starvation, disease and worse.”  
  
Blake’s fangs glinted as she snapped, “I am neither ignorant, nor a child and know far more about all of this than you ever will. I’m sharp, remember?” she hissed, “So do not try and play me for your military and its corporate sponsors gain.”  
  
Clover leaned back at that, adopting an almost stern manner as he looked over Blake with an intense sort of consideration and mild shock. Less seemingly at her message and more her tone, Glynda thought, before coming back with.  
  
“And the safety of Vale? Are you willing to compromise that over this?”  
  
“What about the safety of Faunus in Vale?” Blake countered teeth gnashing.  
  
“We’re here to protect everyone.”  
  
“Faunus miners and protestors would beg to differ.”  
  
Sighing, Glynda held a hand between them, “I believe we have gotten off track,” she turned the full strength of her gaze on Blake and watched the Faunus rear back, ears down as if she wanted to hiss in warning.  
  
“Blake,” Glynda said slowly, “No one here is trying to manipulate you, we want what you and what any Hunter wants. To protect the people and ensure that this long peace we’ve all been enjoying lasts, and we need your help for that.”  
  
Glynda heard Blake mutter a “Peace?” under her breath, before meeting her gaze and finally falling back against the bed, staring up at the ceiling.  
  
“I can’t be of as much help as you want. My team and I knew about the Dust robberies and wanted to help and investigate. So, we did.” Her eyes sank closed as she sighed, “I wandered around Faunus neighborhoods, asking for directions and rumors and looked for the kind of symbols that are rumored to lead to hot spots of activity.”  
  
She half sat up, looking at her hands, “But I didn’t find much, not at first, and what I did find was confusing, I thought it would all be a dead end, but I did find there were a lot of people with military bearing on the streets.”  
  
“Honestly,” she shrugged, “I couldn't tell you who I thought they were, but there were a lot of them scattered around and they looked almost organized, maybe gangsters, undercover agents of some kind or White Fang.”  
  
Neither of them answered her, aware that they could risk exposing the undercover Atlesian soldier’s existence; if Blake did know more, they’d have to rely on her slipping up.  
  
Blake’s story continued unabated, “I got worried they might try and pick me up for one reason or another and headed for the warehouse district because I’d seen the White Fang there before and thought I might pick up a trail.”  
  
She winced when trying to bring a hand up as if to rub her chin but was left massaging her shoulder instead, her next words uttered with a pained tension running beneath.  
  
“That was where I started finding graffiti in chalk, it sounded kind of like what people I’d asked on the street had described and it was recent enough and in the White Fang’s colors, so I followed it to the warehouse and…”  
  
She lowered herself back down against the bed and groaned, torso going stuff as she winced, “You know the rest.”  
  
“Can you tell us anything about the symbols they used or the code?” Glynda asked, talking over Clover who accepted her question with a nod.  
  
Blake scrunched up her nose and shook her head, “It’s all hazy, I remember it didn’t look like the official White Fang symbols, but that could mean anything from someone was impersonating the Fang, to it just being random or them trying out something new.”  
  
“Can you tell us what you saw when you arrived Blake?” Clover asked, not harshly, but firmly, almost desperately.  
  
Blake squinted and picked at her blanket as though kneading.  
  
“I got shot at… Something pulled me down into the warehouse with that human, Roman Torchwick,” She shrugged, “after that it’s a blur. I remember Yang appearing and your ships crashing but beyond that it’s all vague.”  
  
She looked at them both, expression unwavering, eyes blinking slowly, as she bowed her head, “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, I genuinely am. But I found a loose thread and tugged at it until their hideaway became clear. Nothing I found leading up to that made any sense so I doubt I could do it again and I would be surprised if anyone in the Faunus community would trust me after this,” she muttered.  
  
That was when a banging rang out against the door.  
  
“Is Blake up yeeet!?” Ruby called.  
  
“Ruby she might be sleeping!” Weiss hissed.  
  
Yang’s more gentle voice sang out, “Blake, are you awake?”  
  
“I am!” Blake answered, somewhat hoarsely.  
  
“We’ll leave you be,” Glynda said promptly, Clover waving at Blake as they shot up and Glynda released the door form her telekinetic hold.  
  
The handle had nearly melted in Yang’s grasp before she reigned in her flames and team RWBY burst into the room, barely slowing to give them both a side eye even as they raced to their teammates side.  
  
Sealing the door shut, Glynda hovered for a time, but she heard the telltale sounds of a Glyph springing up and knew Weiss was going to be stalling any attempts to eavesdrop.  
  
Clover waved to his Scroll and the listening devices connected to it and Glynda accepted it with a grudging nod as they left the students to tend to their own.  
  


* * *

  
Ozpin hummed, “Well that did not go as well as we’d hoped.”  
  
“Indeed, it did not,” Glynda huffed.  
  
“We made a risk approaching that Belladonna girl in secret and it didn’t pay off; they’ve kept all their talks vague since then,” Clover offered with a helpless shrug that drew a sigh from ironwood.  
  
“We could try again, we should try again,” Ironwood stressed.  
  
“Maybe, in fact yes we should, but not yet,” Ozpin argued. “Let them calm down for now, they were still one edge from last night, so it makes sense they would be defensive,” Ozpin offered, still gazing out the window.  
  
“We don’t have time for patience, Oz,” Ironwood argued.  
  
“If I may sir?” Clover said, promptly saluting and bowing his head.  
  
“Speak, Clover.”  
  
Clover nodded, “I agree time is off the essence, but these kids haven’t even been properly debriefed, I think before we try again, we need a new approach, or at least more information to work with.” His brow furrowed. “That Belladonna girl was far too self-possessed given the medication and injuries. She must have some form of experience or training with interrogations. I think we need to understand them before we can talk them into cooperating with us, or maybe some kind of leverage?”  
  
“I agree,” Glynda offered, stalling more of Ironwood’s theatrics. “I imagine it is Belladonna’s words guiding them, but none among the team, even those like Weiss and Ruby who normally look up to authority figures showed trust in us. Not truly.”  
  
“Bad experiences with past adults maybe?” Clover offered with a shrug. “Can I get a look at their personnel files?” Clover enquired.  
  
Ozpin waved his hand and Clover was quick to step up and link his Scroll with Ozpin’s desk as the headmaster hummed rubbed his chin in thought.

“Thank you, headmaster, hopefully we can fine some useful information here that will help us root out the source of the tension,” Clover said as he downloaded RWBY’s records.   
  
“Perhaps, we will find the source, but that may not make our situation any easier,” Ozpin offered.  
  
“I imagine they might be suspicious as to our intent as well, which will not help matters,” Glynda offered. “I still haven’t been able to shake how quickly Miss Rose closed off after you spoke to her, Specialist Ebi,” Glynda said, not sharply but certainly with ‘intent’.  
  
The man was good though, his genial smile only wavering enough to convey a sense of awkwardness but not shock or fear as though he was hiding something. “I really don’t know what went wrong there; sorry Professor, I’m more used to soldiers or civilians than the middle ground of students.”  
  
Ironwood strode between them, tapping his chin, “Why they’re being difficult doesn’t matter, what matters is that they don’t trust us enough to share that information with us. Though given how they behave, it seems like that is in part because they don’t know how it will be used,” Ironwood vented.  
  
“Well we certainly cannot share with them the truth,” Ozpin said, almost hastily before trailing off. “But maybe… Something smaller, something akin to the truth… But even that may be too dangerous.”

“So, we are again left doing nothing but research?” Ironwood sighed.   
  
“I agree…” Ozpin continued, “That we need a new approach. Not just with the students, but this entire situation; but if we are to retain control, pure force of arms may not be enough. We need information and indeed, leverage, but we do not need to rely on students for that.”  
  
“What are you thinking, Oz?” Ironwood asked, gently, curiously.  
  
“It is just the beginnings of a plan, but I think we need to expand the agents on our search, do you have anyone perhaps suited for infiltration, James?”  
  
Ironwood frowned, “I have a Faunus…” he ventured slowly.  
  
“I do as well, one different from miss Belladonna, we can at least look into that.” He turned and began tapping on his desk, “In the meantime I have some other avenues I may follow regarding Mr Torchwick and his allies. Until then, we must all remain on high alert.”  
  
“Understood.”   
  


* * *

  
The Beacon Dorm rooms were a world away from the palace where she had lived and trained for so long… In appearance at least.  
  
But to Cinder, stone was stone and the bright coat of paint splashed across Beacon’s halls or its faux title as a place of learning convinced her of little.  
  
Cinder knew she resided in a fortress stocked with guards who knew not what they protected.  
  
She understood she was kept below the tower of a king built to taunt one so far away.  
  
The Fall Maiden had knowledge of many secret things that no one else could ever dream of.  
  
 _‘But it all proved insufficient, didn’t it, child?’_  
  
The smug mockery in Watt’s voice had left Cinder clutching her Scroll so tight it nearly snapped. Something inside her thrashed and snarled, sending burning pains and hunger through her frame.  
  
But she liked it.

It calmed her.

Soothed her.  
  
Mercury piped up, shattering her brief moment of respite as he lounged upside down on his bed, feet on the wall.  
  
“So last night was kind of a bust and I swear I got that idiots hair gel all over my favorite top.”  
  
Normally this was where Emerald would cut in with a “You only own one shirt” or some other snipe. But instead the thief was standing at attention a foot away from Cinder. Trying to avoid hovering but always being available and ever wary of her mistress’s rage.  
  
‘ _Wise_ ,’ Cinder crooned, enjoying the way her subordinate barely held back a tremble at her merest glance.  
  
Finally, she turned her attention to Mercury, “Indeed, but we learned much and sewed many seeds. Now, while we wait for them to grow, we must till the soil here.”  
  
Mercury furrowed his brow and grumbled, “Gonna need to spell that out for me like I don’t talk exclusively in metaphor. Boss,” he amended quickly.  
  
Cinder chuckled and rose to her feet. She clicked and Neo pulled herself away from the window and strode over to Emerald’s side, looking distinctly unimpressed.  
  
“You,” she motioned at Neo, “will focus on scouting and I have a little something extra for you once you’ve completed that task.”  
  
Neo nodded and rested her parasol on the ground, swaying her hips lightly from side to side, a tell she’d picked up from Roman when he was deep in thought.  
  
“Emerald, you will coordinate with both Mercury and Neo in their work and keep me abreast of their efforts, but,” she added, cradling her servant’s cheek and watching both fear and longing dance in her eyes. “You must also gain an intimate understanding of those around you, find a way into their good graces, those who were there last night, and tell me everything.”  
  
Emerald swallowed, licking her lips and choked out, “I won’t fail you.”  
  
Cinder offered a teasing smirk as Mercury coughed and thumped his feet for attention.  
  
“So, what’s my role in this, not more boring fight scouting right?”  
  
“Oh, you’ll surely have to toy with a few more foes, but not always in the arena,” she tantalized, watching Mercury instantly shoot up at the prospect of a genuine fight.  
  
Cinder held up her Scroll that flashed with a recording from the battle at the docks, it had zeroed in on one, Blake Belladonna. But unlike the night before, she was wearing a bow, and following a dramatic proclamation, tearing it off to reveal her ears.  
  
“It seems that the one Adam let slip away has a secret, one that I imagine some people here might relish in knowing,” she enthused, before glancing at Emerald. “You will incept the idea and Mercury will give them the support needed.”  
  
The assassin rolled off the bed and to his feet, scoffing, “Convincing some of these little thugs to do something violent and stupid? You’re giving me easy work, but I can’t say it won’t be fun.”  
  
“Just be careful not to draw too much attention to us, remember, it must be their hands that strikes, not yours.”  
  
Mercury waved, “Don’t worry, I’ll just be in the background egging them on and watching the fireworks flare.”  
  
“Consider it the merest taste of what is to come,” she said, thinking of the Bullheads and several tons of Dust resting deep in the words.  
  
So many possibilities, if she just kept them under control.  
  
She would keep them under control.  
  
She couldn’t fail.  
  


* * *

  
Sienna’s body was still heavy with wariness, her skin tingle and thrummed, almost alien to her senses, not quite numb but hardly there either and her head felt like it was swimming in feathers.  
  
Pushing herself up from her sleeping mat, she slapped her Scroll against her ears, glaring out at the world with half lidded eyes as she tried to mask a yawn with a deep breath and failed.  
  
“Wakey, wakey boss, how’s things after our wild night!?”  
  
Sienna ran claws through her hair, idly scoping out her surroundings again, flexing fingers and toes to slowly bring feeling back as she responded.  
  
“Maize, you seem more excited than usual, your report?”  
  
Maize hummed as their answer as if looking at something and debating what to say.  
  
“Well, I found lotsa things, weird things…”  
  
Sienna forced herself up and started to stretch, feeling every crack and lingering ache jolting her to wakefulness.  
  
‘ _Aura can’t replace sleep, but it can certainly expedite recovery from a lack of it_.’  
  
Grunting, she added, “I have limited time, why did you call, Maize?”  
  
“So grouchy,” They answered.  
  
“Maize, report.”  
  
“Right, sorry High Leader,” The lizard Faunus answered, clicking their tongue before continuing.  
  
“Well remember how I mentioned my scouts seeing some droids in the wilderness?’  
  
Sienna chuffing was the affirmative to continue as she inspected her arrow wound.  
  
“Well it seems they have a boat too,” Maize said cheerfully, “A big one!”  
  
Sienna almost lost her grip on the pin she’d been using to keep the bandages in place as she answered, “What do you mean by, _they have a boat_?”  
  
“I mean they have a boat; well more a ship and it's got big cages on it and Grimm, with the androids as the crew!” They answered with a sort of manic cheeriness too ill-suited to Sienna’s aching head and the strangeness of-  
  
Sienna froze, the pin dropped, “I apologize, but please repeat that.”  
  
“Weird right? The Grimm don’t even seem to be trying to escape, plus we’ve found the androids lugging the cages as far as Mountain Glenn, we haven’t engaged them, but we did steal the cages for inspection.”  
  
Sienna’s Scroll buzzed and she glanced at the strange, see through mesh, reinforced frame and the symbol alongside it.  
  
“I know this symbol from somewhere,” she grumbled, racking her brain.  
  
“Oh, so it isn’t some Atlas thing then? That’s good, I guess… Not sure where the droids are coming into it then though, or why we apparently have robot pirates with pet Grimm.”  
  
Sienna sighed, “Just because they have a ship does not mean they are pirates…” Sienna’s brow lowered and she sighed, “No, Maize we are not going to debate that.”  
  
“Yes, High Leader,” The lizard Faunus singsonged.  
  
Sienna used the time to search the image on the web and was surprised to see ‘Merlot Industries’ appear and be listed as defunct.  
  
 _‘Now I recall...’_  
  
“High Leader?” Maize asked.  
  
“Apologies, but I believe that symbol is of the thought to be defunct Merlot Industries, a technological corporation akin to the SDC without the Dust mines from some decades ago. They fell with Mountain Glenn though, or so it seemed.”  
  
“Do you think the fall was a cover up, maybe Vale is more prepared for Atlas than we expected?” Maize suggested.  
  
“They might be, but that would be unexpected given their Council, there may be other factions involved though; be they Atlas or some other wealthy benefactors with their own motives. Or even something more...” she rubbed her chin, “The Grimm are confusing.”  
  
“Yeah, I’ve rarely seen them so passive, even around machines they usually figure out they’re made by people… The only times I’ve seen Grimm act like this for constructs, let alone people, is when there’s an elder Grimm commanding them.”  
  
Sienna nodded, “I concur, this could be like the sky raiders on Anima. But there is a marked difference here, Grimm discriminating between pirates and civilian ships and allowing themselves to be captured are rather disparate.” Sienna frowned and spoke, “Maize.”  
  
“Yes, High Leader.”  
  
“I want you to investigate this matter personally, stalk the ship by one means or another while keeping your scouts in Mountain Glenn and the woods. Do not engage and prioritize your escape if necessary. I want to know where that ship is going and what is going on.”  
  
“Stow away on the ship of the robot pirates, got it, consider them mutinied already!”  
  
“Why are you like this?” Sienna asked before she could stop herself.  
  
“I’m a scout, I gotta get my jollies in where I can,” they laughed, before their tone leveled and Sienna heard a branch rustle. “Beginning infiltration now, High Leader, expect contact at the usual times.”  
  
“Ancestors guide your path.”  
  
“Thank you, High Leader, all blessings upon you.”  
  
And with that, the call ended.  
  
Sienna let her arm drop and turned to her bloody uniform and sighed.  
  
 _‘Never a dull moment.’_  
  
Taking her Scroll with her, she strode into the bathroom, checking every signal, every bug and everyone’s Aura to ensure things were still running and was relieved to see nothing had changed in her time away save…  
  
 _‘What is Ilia doing?’  
  
_

* * *

On the streets of Vale, Ilia had adorned herself in casual clothes, red leather pants and a grey jacket. Her hair was done up in a bun and sheer force of will kept it bright blonde, while her distinctive facial marks had been glossed over with makeup rather than her Faunus trait.  
  
She stood by the air docks of Vale and looked up at the monstrous mountains upon which Beacon rested, hands clammy and nails digging into her skin.   
  
_‘Blake… What are you doing up there?’  
  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, sorry this chapter took so long, got weirdly back into DB for a hot minute and also Mao Mao Heroes of Pure Heart (amazing show) which redirected my creative energy a bit.
> 
> This chapter was something of an interlude but I hope it worked to move the plot along and establish some stuff that needed focus. I had some help writing this chapter from an awesome soul who didn’t want to be cited but to whom I am very grateful for their help and ideas!
> 
> Anyway thanks for reading, if you have any questions, comments, critique or ideas, I’d be happy to hear them.


	6. Interlude: The Island of Dr Merlot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the order of High Leader Khan, Maize, Chief Reconnoiter of the White Fang has stowed their way onto the mysterious island, but now that they’ve arrived… Will they ever be able to escape?

The clicking of Maize’s tongue was lost beneath the sounds of industrial pipes groaning around them.

_‘I hate this island_ ,’ Maize thought, even as they carried out their grim task. Clawed gloves and point-tipped boots dug into thick stone, their tail swaying as they quietly crawled across the gorge’s walls, scurrying every deeper into the island. 

The night sky should have been clear, but the putrid, sickly blue-green light emanating from the bubbling pools littering the ground below left all things uniformly lit up and yet dim. The thick liquid seemed to swirl and writhe almost as if alive, while monstrous steel pipes churned and thrummed, pumping the liquid from below, while their smaller counterparts wheezed steam into the air.

Something snarled and Maize pressed against the wall, flooding their mind with thoughts of home and hearth.

_‘I bet a Grimm just got burnt on a steam grate!_ ’ They joked, waiting for the noise to die down.

Casting their gaze down at the deeply cut gorges ‘street’ so to speak, they could see a loose pack of Beowolves ambling their way down the path. At the head of the pack was an Alpha, its white armor cracked and throbbing with a strange yellowy green light.

‘ _The one’s at the dock had more spikes, is that a lesser mutation?_ ’ Maize thought, snapping another picture from their visors Scroll up-link. 

The absurdity of the picture was clear on its face. 

Grimm, Beowolves, Boartusks, Creepers, all had been brought to the island on cages, they’d snarled and gnashed at nothing on the ship as Maize clung to the outside. But upon arrival they were quelled by a chipper, crackling over speakers and greeting them. 

“Welcome home, my children, where we shall build a better tomorrow, today!”

It had been followed by discordant howls and snarls from monstrously over-sized Alpha’s of several types. All adorned with sickly green glowing wounds, but these one's had massive spikes and things akin to veins swirling around their muscles, all pulsing with that same terrible light. 

The Androids started releasing the Grimm with simple flicks of the seals on their cages and the monsters had swarmed off the ship, packing around their elders and following them obediently, as if good little ducklings. 

Naturally, Maize had followed too. 

Taking to the waters and swimming around the docks and its robotic guards, before crawling out of the dark salty waters onto the great stones that clumped together and made up the island to observe at a relatively distance.

Massive shipping crates and discarded cages had been scattered around nearer to the docks, but the deeper Maize went the more they faded, replaced by signs of industry and machines. The Androids patrolled, the ‘streets’, stood guard and even looked to be handling maintenance!

‘ _Much more advanced that Atlas’s, who is funding this!_?’ They’d thought, snapping a host of pictures, catching the droids glowing Dust infused blades and hulking turret-guns.

As Maize approached where the pipes all led, the wider and more exposed everything became, shipping crates and cages faded entirely to reveal more pipes and even buildings jutting up from the ground. They had a faintly Atlesian aesthetic in their bland, militaristic manner, but were cut in the brutalist style as opposed to Atlas’s sleeker shapes. They rose up from the ground and lights buzzed on the walls, adding to the light pollution and confounding Maize further.

‘ _Is this place hosting a whole research team, have they really found a way to control Grimm?_ ’ This went beyond Holding them for gladiator bouts. If they were right, it even surpassed what the White Fang had seen with the Sky Raiders.

_‘Those the Grimm were just leaving the raiders be and attacking their victims… This, this feels like its more intimate…’_

Maize wanted the entire place reduced to a molten ruin on principle, but diligently continued their work as Chief Reconnoiter. 

They swiftly crawled across the stone walls, slipping along pipes and tubes and onto the sealed shut buildings to find all the shutters down and bearing aged claw marks. 

‘ _The ground looks sick,’_ they thought, snapping another picture before casting their gaze towards the fortified doors that led into a gargantuan fortified lab, the garage doors alone were easily large enough for twin trucks to drive through, or the likes of a Deathstalker, and if they had to guess, the building could easily house a thousand souls! 

_‘I’ll check that out soon,_ ’ The Faunus decided.

Leaping over some pipes and snagging their tail on the sharp corners of a tower, they spun into the cement walls, hidden well from the Grimm and bots below they got to work. Flexing their hand, Maize pressed the claw adorning the tips of their gloves onto the steel shutters and with a pulse of Aura penetrated all the way through.

‘ _This is Ceto’s work, they could just turn into a shadow and get this done in a snap; but I gotta do it the hard way_ ,’ Maize grumbled, carving out a small hole in the steel before jamming their tail tip into the metal and pulling it free.

Peeking inside, they saw a dimly lit room, broken furniture and crates, some bone fragments…

_‘Then who’s running this joint?’_

A thick layer of dust coated the room and it house only skeletons, and yet there were computers clearly active and a ladder into what must have been a basement that connected the observation post to the main facility.

Prying open the shutter at one corner, Maize pressed themselves against the wall and slipped inside like an eel, silently touching the floor and flicking out their scroll.

Maize was no tech whiz like some of their comrades, but they’d seen the water main and boiler room in Fort Castle and could see the similarities.

_‘They must moderate and observe the pumps from here I guess?_ ’ They figured with a shrug. ‘ _Whatever, if I can link it up to our systems, then we’re in business_ ,’ Maize thought, only to frown.

“Aw nuts…”

The sockets were out of date, or just plain alien.

‘ _What kind of system is this!?_ ’ They thought, shuffling through the link up cords they’d been granted by the Technicians before pouring through the dusty draws as well and finally finding an adapter. Connecting it to the White Fang insignia marked receiver disc they grinned in satisfaction. 

‘ _Final_ -‘

Maize froze.

“Well, well, well it seems we have an uninvited guest, and a Faunus of all things, ‘times must be a changing’ as they say!” Sang song an old human from the only undamaged screen in the chamber. His hair was pale blue, nearly grey with some white streaks, wrinkles lined sharp features and a hawkish gaze met Maize’s own, from a singular eye of flesh and a glowing red prosthetic.

“I can’t say I know who you’re working for, but given this is private property I’m going to have to ask you to leave the controlled area, which is to say, my island,” he chuckled.

Maize refused to glance at the receiver and chuckled, making sure to hide the device with their body as they answered, “Oh well, sorry, it all just looked so dilapidated I figured it was run by robots; you know you could really use some cleaning staff here, make it look more lived in.”

“Yes, I suppose the out perimeter has suffered a bit, but those are legacy stations at this point, so I don’t do much with them these days.”

“Where’s your sense of history,” Maize teased, tail flicking in fear as they trained their ears and Aura for any sign of danger.

“Ah, but you see, I only think of the future! That’s what we do here at Merlot Industries, build a better tomorrow-

“Today, I heard. Better for who exactly?” Maize chimed in.

“Scientific progress always benefits all,” The man said grandly.

“Trust me, it doesn’t.”

Rubbing his hands together the human smiled, something nasty behind the teeth as he said, “Well, we’ll just have to agree to disagree, but seeing as you aren’t leaving, how about you help me with my research?”

“You know, I have some friends who’d be much better suited for that, how about I contact them?” Maize offered with a shallow grin.

“Oh, that won’t do, I can’t have anyone interrupting my work you see.” Inflection died and his expression grew harsh, “Get them.”

Cement exploded at Maize’s back.

They turned to see the Alpha from the docks exploding through the wall, claws bared.

“Crap!”

Maize threw themselves out of the way of the slash, only to feel air blades tearing across their Aura like daggers coated in something acidic!

The Beowolf didn’t stop, barreling forward it crashed into them.

‘ _Strong_!’

Maize caught the monster’s claws, snarling as they held them back.

Their tail lashed out to block the Grimm’s bite with its steel as they exploded through the wall and into the air.

A wave of heavy bullets crashed against Maize’s back, each one stinging as they turned to shrapnel against their Aura.

‘ _Ow, ow, ow, you dicks!_ ’ Maize used their tail to drag the Beowolf around to bear the brunt of the bullets.

Aura flowed down their arms, gathering at their palms to launch the beast away the moment they released their grip-

When a glowing blue spear lodged itself in the Grimm’s chest.

_‘What?’_

Then the Grim swelled up, eyes bursting, toxic ooze sizzling.

“Oh, fuck!”

The flash of Aura almost came too late, sparing them from the worst of the explosion as it scorched the air with a burning wave of force that sent Maize hurting through the skies, bullets trailing after them.

Head lolling back, they saw a pack of Grim awaiting them on the ground.

‘ _Coordinated; but they don’t know how my tail works_!’ They cheered.

Dust hummed and roared as they flexed and slashed the prosthetic in the Air. Aura flowing as they began to descend, Maize released a blast of Air that propelled them well over the beasts and droids waiting for them below.

“Chase them!” The man howled and the Grim obeyed, following the droids they began to stampede towards them, clouds of dust billowing up. 

Maize crashed into the ground and unleashed another pulse of Aura. It turned into a flowing wave, upturning the ground and tripping up her foes for but a moment. But as the Faunus spun around and let loose a blast of air that sent them rocketing back and tore through steel, it was enough. 

Until a Creeper burst from the dirt and clamped its sizzling jaw around their ankle, drawing a screech of pain, before their tail tore out the monster’s skull with a lightning infused stab.

Maize felt the ground rumbling and leapt into the air as another Creeper burst forth and rebounded off the stone walls, dodging another Grimm before hitting the pipes and blurring towards the sea.

At their back, the Grimm howled and screeched. More Creepers burst from the walls to get in their way and Maize tore right through them, taking the hit to their Aura rather than let the beasts slow them down.

Droids struck steel as they hoisted themselves up, spears at the ready as their compatriots lined up along the stone-walls to open fire without hitting the pipes.

_‘I can hear the ocean!’_

The Grimm were gathering, another wall of beasts awaited them, maws gnashing, claws slashing as the man cheered on his “Children”.

‘ _This will suck_.’ Maize resigned themselves to the pain as they snatched four slim pipe bombs from their hip pouch and set them to burst with a flick. 

Leaping into the air they took the turret-guns bullets for the chance to let the bombs fly. The first two struck true and in a flash obliterated the monstrous steel pipes, drawing a screech from the man as his machines were destroyed.

The second two were hurled into the ground just as they landed and Maize barely got above the stampede of Grimm in time for the blast.

Curling themselves up, tail coiling around them like an armadillo’s armor they unleashed every scrap of Air Dust to buffer the blast as it launched them into the sky.

Eyes blurry from the pain, they still managed a look back at the Grimm, to see only a few dead and the toxin infused monsters already pursuing.

Hitting the dirt and rolling, Maize’s chest swelled with air and they pumped Aura into their legs. The ground beneath their feet was turned to craters as they lunged into the ocean, blurring into the depths as fast as they could. The Grimm’s crashing against the waters in the distance.

_‘I have to get back to Khan!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya’s thanks for reading! Apologies for the unusual format, but this started as the opening to the next chapter, but became too long and as I feared I might not publish anything before the next episode, it was serendipitous anyway. With this I set up the main action conflict of the next chapter, establish times passage and get something out, hopefully to be continued later XD 
> 
> I have to thank Not Harold for giving this a look over for me and they as well as everyone else who has given me story advice, suggestions, feedback and ideas, you all rock and I hope this was an engage ride. 
> 
> Merlot proved quite fun to write, so I hope he was fun to read and I of course I enjoy Maize (Named for corn by the by). I know they’re an OC but its important to me to flesh out the WF where I can. Though anyone worried about them detracting from the other characters shouldn’t, I’m hoping to give Ilia and other much more attention in the next section. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading, as always feedback, questions and ideas are welcome and appreciated!


	7. ‘Chance’ Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and her team confer on all they have learnt and the young runaway finds herself facing two surprise encounters in one day.

When team RWBY stepped off the transport to Vale they were greeted to the usual bustling nature of the city, magnified tenfold.

The streets were clogged with cars, crowds were denser than ever, large groups be they friends or family were clustering together as they wandered the streets, pushing through the throng. News broadcasts, Vytal Festival coverage and music were loud and coming from all directions, one could not escape the images and proclamations of success and revelry.

Despite the booming speakers, chatter still filled the streets as civic employees practically painted the town in bright gaudy colors with banners, displays and art. There was even an excess of professional looking street performers parading their skills!

Ruby’s grin was near ear splitting, “It’s like the Vytal Festival came early!” She cheered, leaping into the air.

“Maybe we should get moving then, you OK with these crowds Blake?” Yang asked, trying to both keep her distance and be a presence Blake could lean on at the same time, the paradox of that serving to make the blonde look like she was shuffling nervously.

Blake could practically smell the tension in the air, it was still subtle, but she could recognize the signs of a place that was teetering ever nearer to the edge. Protests and even cultural festivals had, had similar energy before someone would inevitably scream “run!” as someone let loose attack dogs, tear gas or just opened fire.

“Blake?” Weiss asked, patting her shoulder.

“I’m fine, sorry just, lost in thought.” She ran one hand over the other, forcing a grin onto her face. “But my wounds have recovered, I just might be a bit low energy for another day or two, according to the doctors,” She insisted with a small smile.

“All right, team RWBY is off on their new mission for Scrolls, food and fun!” Ruby cheered, bursting into the crowd, as they took off after the trail of rose petals at a more sedate pace.

In the distance, Ilia watched, claws digging into her palms at the sight of the Schnee symbol. Crimson red and a burning bronze bleeding across her frame as she watched from the shadows.

* * *

A twin pair of scouts decked out in camouflage styled White Fang vestments stood within the Bullheads hull while their skirmisher ranked pilot flew the ship, tracing an ever flickering, ever moving signal and a long winch trailing in the waters below.

The smaller of the two, with a thick dolphin tail extruding from their back called into their Scroll, “Boss, boss, come in, we have a-”

“Grimm!” Their companion roared, wings flaring as they revealed their wrist mounted machine guns and opened fire on the manta ray-Grimm as it burst from the seas as if taking flight!

The Grimm screeched, bladed fin pointing over its head as it returned fire with a crimson bolt of energy.

“Dodge!” The winged scout shouted, and the Bullhead weaved out of the beams path at the last moment.

“Another round coming- Urk!”

The Bullhead shuddered and screeched as something snagged the winch from the depths.

The Manta Ray-Grimm dived with a cry and the three Faunus looked to one another.

Had they flown into a trap?!

“I got a reading, it either ate the Chief or they found us!” The pilot bellowed from the cockpit.

The scouts glanced at one another and roared, “Reel it in!”

The winch screeched and screamed as it tugged a slim shadow towards the surface, with a darker ray shaped shadow beneath it.

Just when despair was ready to clench their hearts, Maize burst from the ocean, a chunk of sting ray Grimm in their pointed teeth as they hung from the line.

“Chief!” They cheered, dropping to their knees, and snatching their leader from the air, pulling their soaked frame inside.

The technician swerved the Bullhead and the engines roared as they tore into the air as the writhing waters below burst with furious and wounded Grimm, left unable to pursue their vengeance.

Maize was tugged into the bay and slumped against the wall, spluttering up chunks of Grimm and something like a gallon of sea water as the soldiers wiped them down and inspected their wounds.

Gasping they groaned, sounding almost delirious, “I think I drowned for a bit there…”

“It’s OK, chief, we got you!’

“What happened, are there any other wounds!?”

“Your tail, those bastards took a whole chunk!”

Maize’s gaze slid to their half ruined prosthetic and groaned, “Oh yeah… That sucked…”

Then their eyes flew open and they grasped their soldiers by the shirt, “Wait, forget that! We must get to Khan, now, this is world changing! No radios, no Scrolls, I need to see her now!”

The Bullhead screeched as it changed course for their Vale drop point, Maize’s story spilling from their lips and sending a chill of terror down their fellows’ spines.

_‘Just what had they stumbled upon?’_

* * *

The diner Yang had suggested for their lunch was rapturous with noise and crowded beyond measure; people played pool, darts and cards, while others shouted at holo-screens and drank like it was happy hour at barely mid-day.

In the blonde’s words, the cafe “had a reputation for respecting their patron’s privacy.”

Blake knew what that meant and could name a dozen places from her White Fang days that played similar roles in Vale alone, but she was curious how her partner knew such things. The only answer she got was a carefully evasive one to do with her and Ruby’s uncle and his work as a Huntsmen.

Shrugging it off for now, Blake took her seat at Yang’s side and across from Weiss in the cozy and nearly insulated dining box, with some drinks and snacks laid out across the table, along with four shiny new Scrolls.

“I’m sorry for asking you to buy these, Weiss,” Blake said, “I can pay you back soon.”

Weiss waved her off, “Please don’t, consider it me paying back the debt brought on by one of my countrymen trying to lop your head off.”

Blake offered a tired smirk, “Well I‘m glad to know how much my head is valued at.”

“Whaaaaat,” Ruby cut in theatrically, “but some of those Atlas guys had guns pointed at Yang I, Weiss buy us presents too!”

“Don’t be a pest,” Weiss countered, good naturedly.

Yang chuckled, twirling her straw in her drink, “I think Weiss being threatened kinda puts us in the same boat as her, kiddo.”

“Blah, don’t call me kiddo unless you wanna be old lady!” Ruby said, kicking Yang under the table who weathered it with an amused grin.

Blake cut in with a weak cough, “Sorry but… Speaking of that… I think we can talk safely now. Can you three tell me what happened? Glynda and that Specialist weren’t very forthcoming, or trustworthy,” she frowned.

Weiss cocked her head to the side, “Is that why you wanted new Scrolls, you think they’re listening in on us?”

Blake shrugged, “Past experience and Atlas’s monopoly on the towers says it’s possible. I know of some back door programs that can work around some of that but if they were already compromised, or there’s listening devices…” she trailed off, picking at her seat and staring at the table like a nervous child, half expecting some other shoe, or worse, a hammer to drop and tell her how stupid she was being.

Yang merely patted her shoulder companionably, “Given the scummy way they handled questioning, I can’t blame you for being worried.”

Blake perked up at that and offered her partner a weary smile.

Ruby cracked her cookie in two and dipped it into her strawberry milkshake, “I think you might be looking at this from how things used to be for you and not how they are now but… I guess I was pretty surprised Professor Goodwitch would lie to us,” she added softly.

Weiss hummed, “I don’t care for the Indictment of Atlas, but… Given the shameful behavior of those soldiers I cannot say I’m against caution. My sister says Ironwood is a good man, but I can’t speak for all his employees.” She looked aside and bit out, “or his friends.”

Everyone at the table could guess what Weiss was referring to with that and opted to tactfully move on from the obvious sore topic.

“So,” Yang said, “on what happened once we got out.” She pointed at their leader, “Ruby carried Sun and Neptune while I carried you, and Weiss sped us along with her Glyphs.”

“Thanks for that by the way, not sure we coulda made it out in time otherwise,” Ruby offered, offering her partner a high five that Weiss returned with her customary mix awkward enthusiasm.

“We all did our part,” she said diplomatically, before scowling. “Then we fell upon an advancing squad of Vale police and Atlesian Soldiers, we froze, introduced ourselves and explained our position, followed all the proper procedures and everything seemed to be going fine…”

“Right up until the noticed you had Faunus with you,” Blake filled in with a click of her fingers.

They all nodded, Weiss still huffing indignantly, “Then they started screaming and shouting at us, waving their guns around like toys. I swear when one of them reached for you, Yang was going to take their head off if I hadn’t conjured Glyphs to stop them getting closer.”

Ruby chuckled, “I may have let loose a warning shot when someone tried to rush us, then I think that Ebi guy got involved, or maybe Professor Goodwitch or Ozpin, I don’t know but they suddenly started getting more cooperative.”

“We still had to practically fight to be kept around you though. I’m sorry Blake, if I’d-”

Blake rested a hand on Yang’s leg, “You did the right thing, all of you, it’s not your fault things are… The way they are.”

Everyone looked down at that, unsure of what they could add, before Blake shook her head, “But that’s beside the point. Did anyone else find anything out?”

Ruby practically choked on her milkshake, “NO! No, I mean, uh, nothing useful to us, just kinda…” She blushed, “OK I got distracted by Penny and I think Ironwood’s ticked at me cos of her dad or something?”

“So that’s that Specialist Ebi was questioning you on? Why didn’t you just tell the truth?” Weiss snapped, while Yang arched her brow for but a moment at her sister before her expression became cheerfully neutral under Blake’s subtle watch.

“Well, she doesn’t have many friends and I didn’t want her to get in trouble for skiving off with me,” Ruby clasped her hands above her head, “Forgive me Weiss, I’ll help you with your homework!”

Weiss huffed, “I think I can do without a tutor,” before turning back to the conversation and waving her hand, “As to my end, things were a waste of time. There’s records of robberies and such I could get access too, but I cross referenced them with past thefts and nothing seemed too unusual anywhere but here, there’s been more thefts and dust shipments than we heard about but that’s it. Sorry.”

“It was a long shot anyway, thanks Weiss,” Blake said.

Both Ruby & Weiss’s eyes were on her, but Blake was distracted by a flash of a familiar angry bronze ponytail swaying into vision for what had to be the fourth time that day!

Fortunately for her own distractions and the disquiet rumbling in her gut at the thought of having to speak of that night, it was Yang who spoke up.

“My contact had some, sort of useful info,” that piqued everyone’s interest as Yang continued. “I couldn’t actually get into his business and from the looks of things he has guests, lots of them. I hung around and saw a lot of cars taking off, but I couldn’t track any of them. Still, he said he heard ‘whispers’ of something going down in the dockyard-”

“That’s why you got there so fast!” Ruby exclaimed.

“Got it in one sis, I about five minutes away when Sun called and sped up once I knew it was starting.” She leaned back in the cushioned chair and stuck her tongue out in thought, “I wanna say he’s involved somehow, but I might be reaching with that, he is an info broker after all… Either way, something is going down at his club and he had good intel on the meeting place and time, if anything he seemed eager for me to get involved.”

“Do you think he just wants,” Blake waved her hand, “Gone?”

“Maybe,” Yang mumbled, leaning on the table, “But he may just want some peace and quiet, Vale’s criminal underworld is… I wouldn’t call is peaceful, but its very tightly managed, you know the thief’s guilds from the ‘Broken-Disc’ book you leant me?”

Blake nodded and saw another flash of bronze.

“It’s a bit like that just with lots of ‘thief guilds’ who have a treaty basically. Because of that, gang violence isn’t as major problem here as elsewhere, so all these thefts probably leave the police breathing down their necks more than usual as well, even if it’s just so they look busy.”

‘ _We may need to investigate this club later,_ ’ Blake mused.

All eyes turned to her and Blake glanced at her partner and then at her team, then the table, before back at the crowd and stilled as Ilia came into view and motioned sharply to the roof.

Her team followed her gaze, but Ilia was already gone, faded into the crowd.

Blake felt Yang’s hand on her back, “You don’t have to talk if you’re not ready and if something’s going on…”

Blake shook her head and took up one of the Scrolls, “You three have a right to know, but I think I just saw someone who might tell me everything, just… listen in and please, don’t get involved unless I’m under attack.”

Yang looked stricken and Weiss as well as Ruby seemed quail parts alert and tense, “What’s going on?” Weiss asked as Blake slipped out from the booth, Yang watching her with open alarm, clearly biting back her own concerns.

“Just… An old friend who might be here to talk,” Blake said quietly, “Please, just listen,” she tried to offer an encouraging smile, but its effect was muted.

“We’ll be there the moment you need us,” Yang assured.

“Thank you,” Blake whispered before stepping away, hoping it wouldn’t come to that as she disappeared into the crowd and subtly opened the team chat center so they could listen in.

_‘Please Ilia, please be here to help me fix this.’_

* * *

The wind was weak, but still strong enough to ruffle Ilia’s hair and though she hugged herself as if chilled, the spy knew the shivers running across her frame had nothing to do with the seasons.

“Ilia… I’m glad you made it out…” Blake said gently, taking her first gentle steps onto the roof.

“Blake…” she answered, head low as a sigh of relief escaped her lips, even as her chest tightened so much it stung. “I’m glad you got out of there OK, too.” She turned to face Blake, a scowl on her lips as she added, “Despite the company you’re keeping.”

Blake’s face flickered between offended, pained and scandalized with amazing speed, before she answered with a tight growl, “She’s not responsible for her father’s crimes.”

Ilia’s tone was near lyrical as she scathingly countered, “Oh yes, I’m sure all those pretty clothes and cartridges of Dust were earned by her job as a housekeeper in a share home for seven Dust miners.”

“She can’t help-” Bake drew herself back, practically biting her tongue as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I didn’t come up here to argue with you; especially not after you defended me last night.”

Ilia huffed, “I didn’t come here to fight with you either, I came to get an explanation,” She glanced down and let her hands hang loose. “No, I came to take you home Blake, you don’t need to hide anymore, we can keep you safe.” She turned to face Blake wholly, bowing she said, “We can protect you from him, so please, come back; I’ve been worried, the High Leaders been besides herself, your-”

“The High Leader?” Blake asked gently, eyes wide and unsure.

“She hides it well, but I’m a spy Blake, I can read between the lines,” she took a step forward but stilled as Blake tensed as if to step back. “Please Blake, let me make it up to you, all of it, leaving you to fight alone, ignoring what Adam did-”

“So, the White Fang is really not working with Torchwick, with Adam?” Blake asked, tone sharp and near frantic.

Ilia spat, “No, that traitor turned on us months ago and has been killing his own kind, sabotaging our fight, even his older mission logs are rife with inconsistencies… He had you lie for him, didn’t he?”

Blake looked to the ground, “He said they were accidents,” she shook her head, “but he showed his true colors some time ago, but that doesn’t mean I can just leave my friends and go back to hurting people.”

“Friends?” ilia spat.

“Yes, friends, they know my past, Ilia, they stood by me, still are, I think… I think you’d like them if you got to know them. If you could get over them being human,” Blake offered, holding out her hand.

Ilia stepped back, “This isn’t about the humans, Blake, we have double agents and,” she waved her hands, “more in villages we protect. This is about a Schnee, this is about our home, our fight; not to hurt people, but to defend ours from being hurt. Have you just forgotten all that while hiding behind that bow!?”

Blake’s expression grew dour and pained as she rasped, “I haven’t forgotten anything, Ilia, but I can’t come back, not now and definitely not until I understand what’s going on? Why are we fighting each other, why did Adam change, why did the High Leader want us to blow up a train?”

That stopped Ilia short, “What? You were told to raid it. That was a standard milk run to see how Adam handled command of a camp without the High Leader looking over his shoulder. Is that why you left, not because of what he did to you…”

She stopped when Blake cringed at her words and shook her head, “I could… I can see him more clearly now, than I did then and it’s a relief, I suppose, to know that he doesn’t speak for everyone.” Her gaze steeled as she met Ilia’s flickering eyes and said, “But that doesn’t mean I just change sides.”

“Oh, so you’re not on our side now?” Ilia asked, skin tinging red again.

“That’s not what I meant, I just, I don’t even understand what’s going on Ilia, that’s what I was trying to find out last night. So please, can you tell me why all of this is happening?” Blake asked, practically begged, making Ilia’s stomach turn as she looked awake. 

“Look,” she grumbled, “I can’t say much with your human friends liable to run off to Atlas at any given moment-”

“They wouldn’t.”

Ilia sniffed, “That’s what you think, but trust me, ‘friends’ can have unpleasant surprises Blake.” That got a reaction, namely a flash of empathy and pain that only made Ilia feel guilty. Running her hands through her bronze hair she groused, “I’m sorry, I am, that wasn’t fair of me, I shouldn’t lash out at you like that.”

“Its… Its fine, at least you acknowledge it,” Blake murmured.

They lingered in silence for a time before Ilia pushed on, “Look, I can’t say much unless you come back with us, you don’t even have to fight we just want you to be safe but...”

Ilia scratched the back of her head, “All we know is Adam faked the fall of the Vale chapter months ago, shacked up with some humans, we think they might be Atlesian agents given their inside sources and tech. Since then he’s been sabotaging our efforts in preparation for some big power play. At least until the High Leader uncovered the truth, sending Adam, and his small band of traitors scurrying for their masters.”

“So last night?” Blake asked.

“Was an invitation he laid out for us, an ambush we intended to set off to finally bring the curtain down on this mess, but then you got there first, your team, Atlas arrived and there was that archer. The whole thing was a giant mess,” Ilia muttered.

Ilia implored again, “Please Blake, we’re on your side, if you’re worried about your little ‘friends’,” she tried not to let the word be bitter in her mouth. “Then don’t be, we don’t have an interest in any of them. We just want to help make things better.”

Blake sighed, eyes shutting as she looked away, “I know that’s what you think you’re doing and maybe in some ways you have a point, but not others…”

“What does that mean?” Ilia growled.

“It means something like this shouldn’t have been able to happen!” She took a fierce step forward and Ilia drew back in shock as Blake continued.

“It means someone like Adam shouldn’t have been able to rise so high, it means maybe there’s too many people caught in the crossfire! I want to make the world a better and more just place, Ilia, but I don’t want to hurt people.”

“You think I enjoy fighting?” Ilia scoffed. “I hate it Blake, I hate the shouts, the scent, the feel of blood running through my veins or the look of fear in people’s eyes before I-” She bit down on her tongue.

She saw Blake looking hopeful and scowled, “But it’s better than just standing aside, or asking politely for them to stop crushing our collective necks beneath a boot. If you find some magical way to make the world a more ‘peaceful’ place without either ignoring someone’s pain or causing someone else’s, call me; but until then, I have to do what I can.”

“Besides,” she added with a nod to the Atlesian Fleet, “Show me a system that crummy people don’t use to climb to great heights?”

Blake frowned, “Just accepting these as a causality isn’t something, I’m willing to do Ilia, even if I have to start from the ground up, I will find a way to make things better.”

Ilia sighed, head sinking, “Even if it means you never come home?”

“I…” Blake bit her lip, “It’s not that I don’t care, Ilia, it’s not that I don’t respect your intent, it’s just… I can’t leave my team, and I can’t just abandon this mission.”

“What!? You almost got killed last night, Blake!”

Blake’s gaze was set, hard and solid, “Adam was my partner, he’s my responsibility as much as the High Leaders.”

“You were a kid when he started training you, he took advantage of you Blake, you don’t owe him anything. You aren’t responsible for him, not for any of this!”

Blake shuddered, shoulders rolling slowly as if dispensing of a great weight when she smiled and said, “Thank you, Ilia, it means a lot to me for you to say that, but you can’t change my mind.”

Ilia’s scroll buzzed, the ring tone for an urgent meeting.

“Dammit, I… Fine Blake, but-”

“Let’s try and do this again, under better circumstances?” Blake suggested, sounding almost impish as Ilia turned to leave.

“Just what I was thinking,” Ilia offered, slowing at Blake’s call.

“I never got to thank you, for last night, but… That can’t have been easy, attacking one of your own squad. So thank you, Ilia,” Blake said, diplomatically.

Ilia chuckled, “You’re welcome, but it wasn’t that hard, I hated Yuma.”

She cast her gaze across the city and frowned, so much to say, so little time and no idea who might be listening. “Just be on alert Blake, Adam has human agents, so don’t let your guard down!” She called, leaping onto a passing truck, bouncing along the roof and into an alleyway before anyone even saw the blur.

* * *

Blake watched Ilia vanish into the alleyways of Vale; she was alone but for the briefest time before her team piled out the door, practically stepping over one another.

Ruby got to her first, turning into rose petals made travelling easy after all and grasped her shoulders, “Blake, you’re OK, right!? That sounded really intense!”

Blake patted the smaller girls’ hands, “Yes, I’m fine, just feeling a bit worn out, that was as hard as I expected it to be.”

“You just let her go,” Weiss mumbled, staring off into the streets, while Yang rushed up to Blake’s side, hugging her before stepping back and whispering ‘sorry’.

Blake offered her a smile before facing Weiss, her expression growing serious, “I did, I could hardly stop her, Ilia was always good at getting out of grapples and holds, besides… Given what she told me…”

“She’s still a member of the- ” Weiss’s words were muffled by Ruby’s hand, the small leader apologizing to Weiss as her partner slapped her hand away and groused, “You know who. She could have had valuable intel, she could be a murderer, given what she said I think she is. I’m willing to tolerate a lot Blake but this, this is-” Weiss’s chest was heaving, her eyes nearly wild.

“It’s more complicated than that,” Blake argued,

“How? How is it more complicated than that? Because she’s your friend?” Weiss snapped.

“I mean, isn’t that kinda why we’re OK with Blake’s past?” Ruby suggested weakly.

“Blake, left, this Ilia could have too,” Weiss countered.

“Maybe let Blake explain,” Yang offered, hands held up in a placating manner.

Weiss looked ready to snap, but Blake cut her off.

“She can’t just leave, they’re the only family she has left!”

That got their attention.

Blake’s chest shuddered as she ran her hands through her hair, apologizing to Ilia in silence as she explained.

“Ilia… Ilia lost her parents as a child and they took her in, raised her, educated her, gave her friends and a life. She never really had any other options like I did, this is all she’s ever known, be it when they were peaceful or,” Blake waved her hands, “Like they are now. They’re still the people who took her in when no one else would.”

Weiss bit her lip and in a tight voice said, “That’s very sad, but that doesn’t make what she’s doing fine and dandy, she has other options now.”

“Not good ones, not if she wants justice… Or something close to it,” Blake muttered.

That drew three unified stares and Blake sighed, “Weiss, do you recall the Dust Mine collapse from nine years ago? One of the worst on record?”

Off the record there were many more, but this one had been too close to home to be hidden from the public.

Weiss had stilled and looked away, “I remember how angry it made my father… So, her parents?”

“Killed by the dozens of safety regulations ignored and corners cut in running that mine, a chain reaction killed, everyone,” Blake stressed.

Yang murmured, “I remember this, it even got coverage here, it was awful.”

Blake scoffed, “Not everyone agrees with you, Ilia could pass for human then and her parents were doing everything they could to give her the best life possible, skipping meals and time at home so she could get into a prep school that would be a gateway to Atlasian high society.”

She cast a cold glare down at the streets, “When the news struck, the school heard, and her friends laughed….”

“That’s sick,” Ruby muttered.

“Then,” Blake continued, “They got scared, because she was changing colors, they started calling her freak as tears ran down her face.” Blake shrugged, “A fight broke out and Ilia was hauled off to a waiting cell-”

“But she was a child!” Weiss gasped.

Blake gave her a sardonic glance, “She was a Faunus, child. The White Fang paid her bale and collected what they could of her things, adopting her because there was no one left to. Its why she hates the SDC so much, its why she can’t just leave, not when doing so means leaving others to face the same hardships she did, not when it means leaving her parents forgotten in the ruins of a mine, their spirits never knowing justice.”

Blake practically fell upon the roofs railing and sighed, “So much of what she said was confusing to me, but I know Ilia, I know how stubborn she can be, so long as the fighting doesn’t go too far, she won’t back down. That’s what it means to fight for a cause one believes in.”

Blake looked at the gravel of the roof as Yang rubbed soothing circles on her back.

Weiss paced and Ruby fidgeted, before the heiress finally stomped her feet and snapped, “Fine, fine, I understand it, it makes sense, I don’t like it, but it does. Fine,” She practically snarled, before looking away, “It’s not as though I didn’t know my father was doing terrible things and besmirching our families name, I just…”

“I don’t agree with her Weiss, please know that…” Blake whispered, “Bu I can’t exactly fight her either, let alone betray her trust.”

Weiss sighed, “No I suppose not, you two must have been close.”

Blake nodded, “We were, until she grew distant, work in the Shadow Fangs tends to do that and I… I had other things occupying me.”

Ruby audibly gulped as she raised her hand, “So uh, Adam… Can you tell us about that guy? Cos he sounds like bad news.”

“Maybe we can take a break?” Yang offered, looking at Blake for permission.

“No, its fine, thank you but I might as well get it out now-” She stilled, clasping her hands as they began to sweat.

“It’s hard to explain, and Ilia’s words only made it more complicated. I used to think he was noble, when we met, I was just a girl. I used to think he changed, or maybe was changed and lying; but now I think he just never showed me his true self until he thought it too late for me to turn him away. Maybe he never showed anyone else…”

Yang sat at her side, arm slung around her shoulder as Ruby and Weiss closed in, kneeling or squatting before her to hear Blakes increasingly whispered words.

“I met him late one night in Kio Kuana…” 

* * *

After explaining her… Everything, they finally returned to Beacon with nothing more to say or plan.

Blake had sought out some isolated little roof atop Beacon’s many dorms to reflect and just ‘Decompress,’.

Her team had been kind, understanding and maybe seen some things she had not… Or hadn’t wanted to linger on, given the anger that had burnt behind Yang’s eyes kept in sharp control without a target, let alone the uncomfortable worry in Ruby’s tone or the haunted looks in Weiss’s in particular.

Her arms wrapped weakly around her frame as she stared up at the sky from her perch atop one of the rumbling air-filtration units near the heart of the roof.

That was when her hidden ears twitched against the velvet bow.

‘ _Four sets of steps, armor, one heavy, one clumsy, two light, nearly all metal, CDRL_ ,’ she thought, barely suppressing a growl as a frown marred her features.

Casting a glance over her shoulder she slipped off the machine and snapped, “I don’t know why you four are here, but if you were trying to be stealthy, you failed.”

The door to the roof swung open and CDRL swaggered out, not spreading out but keeping relatively tightly packed, just enough to maneuver without tripping each other up but close enough to aid one another making divide and conquer difficult.

‘ _Unusual for them…_ ’ She thought with an arched brow, as Cardin tapped his mace on his shoulder plate.

“Damn, she got us boys,” causing them to all chuckle. “That’s some nice hearing you got there, but then,” His smirk faded into a vicious scowl as he bared his teeth and spat, “What else should I expect from an animal.”

Blake tried and failed to keep the shock from her face, but eyes widened, chest tightened, and her jaw locked up as she instinctively started leaning into a combat stance before her brain caught up with her still drained body.

“See that right there?” Carding asked, “That’s you, screwing up, but thanks for confirming our suspicions.”

His team all clenched their weapons tighter, eager smiles on their faces.

“You four must really be out of it to think that, let alone that you’d have a chance against me,” Blake countered.

“Oooh, so fierce!” Sky laughed.

“Careful, I bet she bites,” Russel added.

Dove just kept his piece, but that was just as bad in Blake’s eyes as Cardin’s frown grew.

“Is that a threat, Faunus?” Cardin asked, as if reading a script.

“You’re the one’s holding weapons,” Blake countered, not that it would matter in the eyes of many.

“We were just up here for training, but ya know, I’m not sure how happy Beacon would be with someone lying on their documentation. Add that to threatening us and your recent tumbles,” Cardin’s weapon began to glow with a crimson light. “And I’m not sure that this looks good for you.”

They knew? How could they have known, who told them? CDRL didn’t even have four brain-cells to rub together, they couldn’t have done it alone! Did someone tell them, was it a teacher as some veiled threat?!

‘ _Russel’s the fastest, I can outmaneuver his charge, dodge their shots and leap from the roof, Cardin-_ ‘

Cardin exploded forward with a cocky smirk as his team fanned out to provide covering fire and Russel readied to intercept her retreat.

Blake’s semblance writhed as she raced back, reaching for Gamble Shroud-

“Hello!~” Sang a chipper voice, stalling the man’s charge and causing Blake to snap around to face the new arrival.

 _‘I didn’t even hear her!’_ Blake thought stunned at the sight of the mint green haired woman, with dark skin and ruby red eyes that burned with something sharp and angry even as she smiled and waved.

“Sorry, sorry, I hope I didn’t interrupt a sparring match!”

“You didn’t!” Blake said hastily.

“You did!” Cardin insisted over her.

“But…” She continued blithely, stepping between Blake and Cardin, one hand on her hip and so conveniently close to the gun holsters at her back.

“I was hoping Blake could show me around the library, I’ve seen you there a lot and I wanted to discuss book recommendations with you. Can you spare the time?” She asked sweetly. 

Blake felt the tension ease off her slowly, but not entirely as she stood to her full height and with confidence she did not feel and said, “Of course and I’d love to hear all about the Haven libraries while we’re at it. Sorry Cardin, we’ll have to pick this up some other time, maybe next time I’ll bring Yang, or Pyrrha,” she added with some venom making the quartet stiffen and scowl.

The crimson eyed maiden took Blake’s hand and they weaved their way around the team and into the stairwell faster than they could see.

‘ _She’s exceptionally light on her feet_ ,’ Blake thought, even as she cast a suspicious eye back at the doorway until it faded from view.

Only once they reached the ground floor did they stop running, bursting out the doors they stayed beneath the alcoves protective barriers as they walked side by side.

“Thank you,” Blake finally said, “That could have turned ugly.”

“Given those four I think it was already ugly enough for me to intervene,” her companion offered, before smirking in a manner that reminded Blake of Yang. “Still, I’m glad I overheard them scheming, at first I thought they were just talking crap, but they seemed suspicious enough to warrant a closer look.”

She held out her hand and said, “Emerald Sustrai.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Blake offered, taking her hand, and shaking it, “I guess you already know me though?” she asked with a hint of a question.

Emerald motioned to the roof, “I overheard them saying it, the library thing was based on truth though, I’ve seen you there a few times when I was looking for things I haven’t already read.

Blake was liking this girl more and more by the second, even as her mind was still occupied with thoughts of CDRL’s ambush and whatever hand might have been guiding it. ‘ _Or maybe I just got careless and underestimated them?_ ’ She thought bitterly.

Emerald rested a hand on her shoulder, “Want me to escort you back to your team, or somewhere else? I know these things don’t exactly get investigated but if you wanted to tell a teacher…”

Blake patted her hand and smiled, “Its fine, things are tense enough as it is and it would be our word against theirs, I’ll just have to be more careful I suppose.”

 _‘Like we always have to_ ,’ she thought bitterly.

Seeing the other girls look of concern Blake added, “Still if you want to meet my team, I wouldn’t mind the company.”

“It would be my pleasure Blake,” Emerald said with a friendly grin.

Blake did not hear CDRL reuniting with one Mercury Black to commiserate in their foiled ambitions.

Blake did not see the set of burning eyes watching from a nearby window with a pleased grin as their owner clutched her Scroll tightly.

Blake could never have heard Emerald’s message to her mistress, spoken across the divide in minds bridged by her Semblance as she said ‘ _I’m in_.’

Instead, Blake tried to strike up a conversation, unaware of all that had been communicated in a single instant between so many as she asked, “So you like to read?”

“Oh, I do,” Emerald said warmly, “Some of my favorites are the Thief and the Butcher, Violet’s Garden as well as Third Crusade, that was fascinating, in a really tragic way at least.”

“Have you read the Third Crusades companion piece; it was written in the margins by a prisoner to the ‘Grand Commander’ that was carted around to nearly every battle as punishment before their escape.”

“That’s real? I heard it was burnt,” Emerald said.

“Not if you know where to look,” Blake answered.

The conversation drifted from one topic to another as they sought out team RWBY, the Faunus feeling slightly lighter than she had a mere half hour ago as they went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again, thanks for reading! 
> 
> There was originally a White Fang epilogue section to this chapter but I've opted to move it to the next chapter and see how that works, I think this being a Blake stand alone chapter is a good idea regardless. 
> 
> Apologies for the late update, RL has been busy and editing can take awhile XD 
> 
> Whatever the case, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if so I would love to hear your thoughts!


	8. War & Politics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The White Fang is on the move and the battle to claim the Island of Dr Merlot has begun, but in their absence the wheels of fate in Vale continue to turn.

Ilia’s return to the hideout was without much fanfare.

She slipped into the club, around the bouncers who had become inured to their presence if only barely tolerant; then disappeared upstairs towards the High Leaders temporary strategy chamber.

However, what greeted her upon reaching the top of the stairs was in total contrast to the placid bar below. Much like Ilia’s own frazzled and frustrated mind, the air was alight with energy and tension. Plain clothed soldiers were inspecting gear, while captains charted flight paths with the technicians, even the civilian agents like Tuckson had work to do, prepping first aid kits.

Ilia raced through the crowd, even leaping over people at points, only to burst in on the High Leader amidst a conversation with several holograms.

Sienna’s gaze was on her scroll, but her ears twitched with alertness and her tone was sharp and focused. “These schematics are good; I take it the hacking was successful?”

The High Technicus’s response was raspy as always, but they radiated a certain sense of pride, as they spoke. “Indeed, High Leader, though we have since been locked out of the system, the work our Chief Reconnoiter did has given us much, especially when combined with the sonic scanners.”

“Those damned things have been paying dividends this day, I’m glad I let you talk me into them,” Sienna said, before changing topics. “Speaking of hacking, how goes your study of the virus?”

“Better than one might expect, High Leader, I believe it could be very useful to us,” was the Technicus’s answer.

Sienna arched her brow and motioned for him to continue.

“You see,” They rasped, “The code was incredibly advanced and deadly, but I believe an unfamiliarity with our systems stymied our would-be hackers coding process. This led to them relying on familiar codes and paths to expedite the process and-”

High Leader Khan’s expression and tone were flat as she cut in, “Time is of the essence, noble comrade, if you might reach your point soon?”

“Of course,” They coughed, “To get to the point as instructed, our study of the code reveals it has much in common with the Mantle and Atlesian Security Codes we’ve been trying to break.”

Sienna huffed, “Another sign of Atlesian involvement.”

“Indeed, though I find it odd they haven’t updated their codes, as I doubt they wouldn’t have noticed us ousting their agents,” the miserly technician wondered.

Sienna hummed, “A trap maybe, secret patches, or maybe something else,” she shook her head, “whatever the case their idleness shall not be our own. Use what time you have to study that code and use it to craft as many back doors into their systems as possible; once we’re done with this invasion of course.”

“As you say, High Leader!”

Sienna turned her attention to the other two projections, “Maize, continue scouting and the occasional strafing run, update us on the enemy’s movements.”

Maize saluted, “I shall continue to feel up the enemy High Leader, as you say!” before hanging up, just in time to miss the sharp swipe of Niran’s spear through their hologram.

Sienna barely seemed to register the exchange and pushed forward, “Ceto, your forces?”

Ilia straightened at the presence of her personal commanding officer, wondering if this was why she’d been called. ‘ _I may have been the High Leaders go to agent recently, but that’s because she was low on options!’_

Ceto saluted, “Our home base is under a skeleton crew and ready to evacuate at any time, while I and the main body of our forces are making good time. We will not let you down, High Leader.”

“Excellent, keep my up to date on your movements and Ancestors willing, we’ll have this done before daybreak.”

Ceto bowed their head, “As you say High Leader,” before they faded.

Sienna instantly turned on Ilia and in a clipped tone, “Amitola, I need to go over your role in the plan, with me, there are other matters I must attend to.”

“Ye- Yes High Leader! As you say!”

Ilia quickly fell in behind the towering tiger Faunus as Sienna retreated to her chambers.

The moment the door closed she began shuffling through some spy gear Ilia didn’t know she owned and spoke softly, “How was Blake?”

Ilia gaped, “Y- You knew?”

“I deduced,” Sienna answered blandly, “Her parents are asking after her, she does not need to be among us, merely safe and well. Was she?”

Sienna’s golden gaze bore into Ilia’s skull, any deflections of investment on Sienna’s part a poultry thing in the face of such intensity. But Ilia knew a face saving and all too diplomatic move for what it was and bowed her head before reporting as she would with anything else. It would sting less that way anyway; or so she hoped.

“She is well, High Leader, Blake Belladonna is attending Beacon Academy under an assumed human identity, though her teammates, including the Schnee Heiress are aware of her nature and past affiliations. I… Tried to convince her to come back, but she’s unsure of even us, though is now aware of Adam and his splinter faction.”

“Good, she need be aware, for her own safety if nothing else, though,” Sienna huffed, “I doubt she will leave well enough alone. Thank you, Ilia, now, as to your role in this mission-”

“With respect High Leader you’re… Taking this too, uh, very well,” Ilia started hasty and ended mumbling.

Her words only drawing a glazed glance from the High Leader, “I am not going to punish you for speaking out of turn, Amitola. Besides, I see no reason for theatrics where none are warranted, Bake has reason to be wary of us and I am glad she has found somewhere accepting and safe.”

“But a Schnee…”

Ilia was surprised when Sienna’s rough hands clasped down on her shoulders, followed by an oddly soothing rumble.

“Your anger is warranted, justified and forever known, Amitola. The SDC and its masters will pay for all they do and have done to our people. However, we cannot let justice turn to direction-less bloodlust, the child was a beneficiary of our exploitation but not its architect, and if she truly mattered to the Schnee, she would not be here, especially not now.”

She patted Ilia’s shoulder and nodded, “Focus now, on the good you can do here, and we shall look to Blake again when she is ready to speak with us. I imagine you left the channel open?”

Ilia’s heart slowed, the tightness in her chest faded, just a little and she nodded, “Yes, High Leader, we have no schedule, but we can find each other again.”

“Excellent, that will be more important than ever in the coming days. But for now, we must focus on the present, tonight, Ilia, we are going on the march.”

* * *

The night skies were tinted with fading gold and lavender as the sun dipped from one side of the world to the other and the shattered moon unveiled itself in all its glory. The only mar upon this otherwise beautiful vista was the sickly green and blue glow, spewing from a nearby island; the ill light accompanied by roars and snarls echoing across the waves.

A full Squad of Faunus Scouts and champions standing upon a wooden decked, metal lined airship cared little for the roars of the distant foes, having become inured to their twisted cries. Instead their gazes were locked upon the ocean itself as a black dot grew larger and larger and-

With a mighty splash, Maize burst from the water like a dolphin, prosthetic tail shimmering as they flipped their way onto the deck with a thud, metal tail thumping against the Steel-Tree wood.

“That’s the last tunnel out of here, he won’t be using it anytime soon after an explosion like that,” They cheered, snatching up a towel to wipe off their grinning visage.

“Couldn’t you just use Aura?” A champion asked briskly.

Maize huffed, “Scouts need to master their energy reserves for long missions and given tonight,” they glanced back at the island, “I’ll need all I can get. Speaking of which, I believe I need a snack!”

A voice crackled in from their Scuba Scroll and Maize’s usually cheery expression turned sour as Ceto’s crisp tones struck their eardrums.

“You will have time to snack later, is there anything to report?”

They were followed by another, gentler query from the High Technicus.

“How is the new tail?” Their tone was curious and a little anxious, “I know it’s your older model, but we did try to put it on par with the one you, ah, lost.”

Maize ignored the first instruction, very loudly biting down into several ration bars and humming.

“Maize,” Ceto hissed warningly.

Swallowing with a gulp, the Chief Reconnoiter spoke, “Sorry I was chewing too loud to hear ya Ceto, and as to the tail, its… Fine, a little small, a little light, but I’m back in the swing of things.”

“Maize,” Ceto repeatedly sternly, “Has anything changed with the island since that botched attack?”

Maize bristled, “We were ordered to do a strafing run by the High Leader, Ceto, but the Grimm showed off a new trick and it’s a good thing they did or else we wouldn’t know some of them have picked up the Lancer’s sting shooters.” They shuddered at the thought of that becoming a common Grimm mutation.

Clicking their sharp tongue, Maize added, “Anyway nothing new to report, the ship was damaged, but we managed to ground it on the coast and since then I’ve been keeping our forces back to save ammo. So far, the Grimm don’t seem to be changing from their allotted places, still marshalled at the coast. How about you, still running late?”

“I am always on time, Maize,” Ceto countered, sounding to be gearing up for a lecture.

Not interested, Maize’s eyes flashed wide at a sudden thought, “Say what’s the go on that Paladin cannon, I wanna double check its ready for deployment.”

“Such a shame,” the High Technicus sighed, “That we had to tear those cannons off, I certainly hope they will be of use.”

Maize chuckled at the eight-foot dual barreled cannon laid out before them, just begging to be fired, “Oh don’t worry, its gonna get plenty of use.”

Ceto cut in, “This isn’t a game Maize,and it Is not cleared for use until the attack begins now ensure your forces are-.”

“My forces are ready, Ceto. We’re awaiting the High Leaders orders, just make sure you and your little crew are where we need or do my Scouts and I have to do all your heavy lifting here?”

“This channel-”

“Is secure” the High Technicus snapped, “We’re barring Merlot as we speak.”

“See,” Maize preened, “We don’t need you breathing down our necks, old one.”

“If your clan had reared you properly, you’d respect your elder’s skills more, the Shadow Fang-”

Maize scoffed, “No offence to you and yours, but my Scouts- ”

“ENOUGH.”

All stilled at Sienna’s rough snarl, heads bowing low and contrite as each answered.

“Our apologies, High Leader, we await your command.”

“My first order is for the two of you to stow your petty rivalry until this battle is done and then sort it out on your own time. Secondly,” she trailed off, “My squads and I will arrive in five minutes and Ilia is ready. Bombers launch, you know your orders; all marshaled forces, prepare for battle.”

* * *

Sienna’s hands were clasped behind her back as she stood on the deck of sleek ship she had first piloted to Vale when she had begun to uncover the sordid mess that had led to this moment. 

She eyed the map outlining her foes positions, brief clips from long distance cameras showing Grimm bearing wounds and scars from the earlier strafing runs.

_‘Grudge…’_

Within her, that nasty, vicious thing she was forced to call her Semblance burned. Spectral claws and fangs entombing her body in an invisible prison before she pushed it down and focused on the battle.

_‘The Grimm pose the most physical threat, but still clump together like beasts, it is the droids and local defenses that may determine the fate of this battle and grant the Grimm the time they need to wear us down.’_

Of course, she hadn’t forgotten word of the spike storm that had nearly obliterated a stolen Pelican and grimaced. Her tone was quiet but firm as she ordered, “Move squads Luan and Bast to the rear lines. Push the flagship nearer to the front, I want those cannons providing us covering fire before they bombard the island.”

“As you say, High Leader,” Several voices intoned. She scanned the miniature map on her Scroll showing Ilia’s path and nodded, before turning to face her forces.

Standing before her were twenty High Guard Gunners, now equipped with added body armor, grenades and miniature rocket launchers. Along with twenty High Guards Warriors, each equipped with their standard Burn Dust spears, but also bearing sabers and great black steel, Wind-Dust infused, shields that bore the symbol of the White Fang. Each stood at attention, their gazes sharp and resolute as they awaited her orders.

Sienna herself had adorned a saber and the twin spears that adorned her ‘throne’ back at her headquarters, both now folded into themselves and hanging from her hip alongside Cerberus’s Whip and a host of Dust Daggers.

Her High Guard were not the strongest the White Fang had to offer, like the champions, nor the most experienced with Grimm as was the scouts claim to fame, let alone as stealthy as the Shadow Fang.

What Sienna’s High Guard were though was outfitted, trained and blessed units, conditioned and trained to fight with unity and precision, that when paired with proper leadership, left them the envy of even Atlas’s special forces.

Before the battle had even begun, she ensured they’d taken the time to cleanse their mind and drill their bodies, refining their senses for combat.

Now they stood ready, awaiting only her command.

When Sienna shouted, her voice was rough and harsh, echoing across the deck.

“High Guard hear me!” her cape billowed as she held her arms aloft.

“Today we stand as one, united in our cause, our mission and a sin shared!”

They all stiffened.

“Whether it was temptations, lies or shameful ignorance, we who are the guardians of the White Fang, found ourselves in the midst of traitors and thieves, I too know this shame.”

Her fangs ground and blood boiled as she snarled.

“But tonight, we reclaim our majesty and our mandate. Together we shall be the vanguard of our armies and just as the White Fang are the spear and shield of the Faunus people. We too shall guard our comrades and strike at the very heart of an enemy beyond morality, ideology or rationality!”

Her gaze snapped to the island.

“Awaiting us is a force, that if allowed to escape will slaughter all they find; what you do here today is brave beyond measure. So, carry yourselves with pride, for you were not denied the chance to serve your people and secure their future.”

She pointed to the High Guards in a single sharp gesture.

“You are here, because you have been found worthy. You are here because you are brave enough to face these horrors. You are here, because you are needed. High Guard, fight with me, bring honor to our order and death to our foes!”

The High Guard’s voices rose as one, feet slamming against the deck, weapons held aloft as their Aura’s shone.

“We will not falter, we will not yield and we will not fail, High Leader! The High Guard shall bring the White Fang glory this night!”

Sienna allowed herself a sharp fanged smirk, as she bellowed, “Warriors of the White Fang, commence the attack!”

She cast off her cape and as the engine roared, she sucked in a breath, chest swelling, fangs bared, she let loose a roar that broke the air and tore across the oceans to wash over her foes like a tidal wave.

And thus, the battle was joined.

* * *

Ilia checked and rechecked her parachute, glanced back at her partner for the infiltration to inspect his gear, then checked the clock, before looking out the window of the Bullhead, to see only clouds… And then she’d repeat the process, with only a staunchly professional aura managing to cloak her anxiety to the pilot, her partner and their aid, who was also inspecting their gear.

“The battle has been joined, the enemy is engaged, commence the operation!” High Technicus rasped over the radio.

“We hear you, beginning now, you two have one minute!” The pilot called from the cockpit.

Their aid latched onto a hand-hold and gave them a thumbs up, “You’re ready to go!”

Ilia glanced back at the lean Faunus behind her and seeing his tense expression smiled, “You ready for an adventure, Lazu?”

He forced a chuckle as he stepped closer to the door, “Gotta earn that hazard pay somehow, my boyfriend and I have big plans for my next break.”

Ilia smirked, “Adorable.”

Their aid blinked, “Wait, you guys get hazard pay!?”

“Bombs deployed!” The pilot shouted, as the hanger bay doors swung open.

“Jump!” Ilia barked, flinging herself from the open doors into the howling winds, Lazu trailing mere seconds behind her.

The clouds streamed over her frame, the wind battering at her form, and Ilia spared a glance back at the technician and saw he’d spread eagle, awaiting his moment.

Nodding, she locked her arms at her side and went into a dive, eyes locked on the flickering golden bombs as they careened towards the island that was rapidly coming into view. Explosions, Aura blades and toxic miasma bleeding their way along the coast like a wildfire.

‘ _They can handle it, just do your part!_ ’ She thought, spreading her arms wide as the bombs struck the roof of the enemies complex and a screeching storm of crackling lightning swarmed across the base like a thousand limbed monster. 

Ilia released her chute and lurched back into the skies, lungs feeling like they were being squeezed out of her chest as her path down was still rocketing at deadly levels!

Deadly for someone without Aura.

Ilia saw the roof speeding towards her and the lightning fading.

She ripped her chute off and rolled into a ball, Aura radiating across her frame and gathering in her hands and feet.

She struck the grey cement roofing with a violent, rapturous crash, only to press herself down, unleashing her Aura and the shock into the stone, dispersing it, and leaving nothing but faint hairline cracks.

Ilia didn’t waste a moment.

She drew Lightning Lash and exploded into action against her still dazed and pained foes.

She flipped over a steam vent and beheaded a guard droid in one swift slash, before unleashing crackling shock-waves across its frame to fry any sensors.

She didn’t slow, letting loose two lightning mines across the roof, blades flicking out to make them shuriken that soared and swiftly buried themselves in two unsuspecting droids. All while Ilia was back flipping through the air, blending into the night perfectly, so the now distracted gunner droid didn’t see her until shed buried her blade in its CPU, flicked the trigger and fried its brain.

Ilia smirked as several red orbs hit the roof, metal claws digging into the cement they unleashed a buzzing flash that washed over her like nothing but would serve to scramble any communications or visuals.

‘ _Perfect timing_!’ She thought.

That was when the snarls and screeches started.

“I thought they dealt with all the flying Grimm!” Lazu shouted from afar, swarms of Raver bats racing towards his slow descent as Beowolves and Creepers charged her from across the roof.

Acting swiftly, she charged forward and leapt atop the Beowolf’s head as it lunged at her and sprang off it into the air. Flaring Lightning Lash, she let loose a blade of electricity and cut right through lazu’s chute, causing him to come screaming to the ground.

Hitting the roof first, she jumped back into the air, flipping over the taller Faunus and catching them in her grasp before going into a Roll and skidding to a halt with a scratched and panting, but very much alive Lazu hanging in her arms.

“Stay down,” she ordered.

Ilia flicked the control trigger as the bats swarmed, lightning crackled and writhed around the blade, contorted to her will by Aura as she spun the whip above her head. Little lancing strikes of nature’s wrath peeling off and latching onto t e bats, letting her unleash a mighty surge into and across the swarm in a massive wave of chain lightning!

Metal screamed as the glowing green Beowolf ripped through the vents in a bid to surprise her, tearing through the crackling storm of lightning and tackling Ilia to the ground.

She rolled onto her back, jammed her feet into its swollen gut and flipped it over and jump to her feet.

The Grimm crashed hard but flipped up fast with a howl.

A howl Ilia silenced with a well-placed grenade sailing down its throat.

“Duck!”

Lazu ducked behind some piped and Ilia joined him just as Burn Dust mixed with whatever toxin had empowered the Grim and showered the roof in a glowing miasma of Dust and strange, gaseous serums.

“Here!”

Ilia grateful accepted the miniature breathing mask that Lazu offered her, his own face already covered.

As the miasma and toxins faded, Ilia peeked up across the roof but was surprised to see she had indeed killed all the watchers.

A wave of explosions followed by a familiar but distant roar, directed her gaze to the cause of the lax defenses with the ensuing battle on the beaches, quickly spreading like a wildfire across the coast and into the Rockies surrounding the base.

“The attacks doings its job, come on we gotta help turn the tide, can you walk?” Ilia asked, helping Lazu to his feet.

“Yeah, sorry fighting in a parachute is um, hard…”

Ilia waved him off and instead marched towards an air vent, drastically over-sized and perfect for her needs as she slashed an entryway out of the grates.

As Lazu marched up behind her, Ilia held Lightning Lash high above her head and let it shine like a beacon, flashing slowly once, twice, three times, before she dropped it.

“OK, stick close, and be ready.”

“As you say,” Lazu answered, as they ducked into the vent.

* * *

The engines roared and the ship vibrated beneath Sienna’s feet as she and her forces braced for their charge as the coastline approached.

The Grimm howled and there was a chorus of painful whistles filling the air as glowing bone soared across the skies.

“Covering fire!”

The chorus was met by a veritable orchestra of cannon fire and Dust beams, passing by Sienna’s flag-ship and meeting the enemy’s volley, joining them into a single chorus off explosive destruction that battered her vessel but did not slow its path.

Tearing through the smoke, they were followed by a new volley that tore across the sandy beaches, massacring the lesser Grimm that were to serve as a bulwark and clearing her forces a landing zone.

Sienna roared, “Leap!” as the ship rolled to its side, the crates of Dust humming as they flung themselves from the ship and landed on the docks.

A mere instance later, her ship was struck down by a second wave of gnarled bones and the Grimm were rewarded for their efforts with a flash of stinging white ice Dust and rumbling Earth Dust exploding across the coast.

“Form ranks and forward march, secure the beachhead!” Sienna bellowed, racing ahead as the surviving Grimm on the coastline charged her as their comrades battered at the elemental wall.

Cerberus’s Whip clinked sharply as she drew it back, Aura flooding each steel element before she lashed it, Grudge writhing within he and pulling a roar from her maw. A thin crimson beam surged across the air and every Grimm that barreled towards her let out a sickly yelp as their bodies were carved in twain.

The Elemental Wall shattered, as the engines of her forces roared, and they made to land.

They needed more time.

“Spear Head formation!”

“As you say, High Leader!”

Another wave of bones barreled towards them and her gunners met the challenge with glee, each one unveiling their shrapnel rocket launcher from their backs and unleashing a cavalcade of miniature missiles into the air, filling the sky with explosions.

What bone spears broke through were deflected or torn asunder in their charge.

Sienna could see some of the Grimm at the front of the rabble before her were wounded from the past strafing runs and the oh so recent blast of her vessel. Seeing their weakness, sensing it Grudge burned in her gut and Sienna bared her fangs in a vicious grin.

The Grimm’s larger, more gargantuan kin held back, but the youthful savages did not, natural and enhanced alike they charged forward in all their animalistic fury.

It would be no match for the fury within her.

Sienna let loose the chain on Grudge for but a moment, Aura infusing her Gravity Dust tattoos, muscles swelling as her soul flared, she became little more than a beam of crimson and black striped light to even the keenest of eye.

That is, until she struck, Aura forged claws bared, she ripped a Beowolf’s head from its body. Its bodies swelled and surged with power, exploding in a fantastic display that was far from Sienna herself as she tore through a burnt Ursa Major, bisecting in a slash, with not even a drop of blood on her frame as she blitzed her way across the battlefield, snatching up unsuspecting Grimm in her whip and ripping them in half with the force alone!

It was the sound of the shield wall forming that snapped the High Leader from her rampage.

Sienna flung herself back from the front, just in time as mightier Grimm, with too many pulsing eyes swarmed where she had stood a moment before, shattering and tearing at the stone to unleash a dust cloud like a bomb might.

Sienna skidded back along stone, taking her place at the head of the shield wall. Each shield angled to lean against the next, each High Guard pressed against its back and digging it into the stone, a spear aimed over the top as gunners lined up their sights and her forces began disembarking along the coast, racing to reinforce their comrades.

“Hold this line, do not let them break through!” Sienna ordered, flicking out a spear from her hip pouch and ramming it into a Beowolf’s throat as it bared down upon her.

“As you say, High Leader!” her High Guard roared, the shield shined with Dust and Aura. Their spears aimed skyward at any Grimm trying to leap over them, shining bright as they unleashed blood red beams into their foes, one joining with a second and a third, then the fourth to make a fantastic and furious heat that could melt through even Grimm bones.

The monsters charge calmed, and Sienna’s ears twitched as a crackly voice echoed across the island.

“My, my this is rather exciting isn’t it? Two armies clashing upon the shores, set to decide the future of Remnant, why, it almost makes me nostalgic for the closing days of the last war I fought in.” he hummed, “Amusingly that was with Faunus as well …”

Sienna tuned him out and tapped her communicator, “Maize, where are you?”

“There was an ambush of Creepers and Bots waiting for us- fuck, ah! We’re held up, we can’t sneak around with this quagmire!”

“Call in air support!”

“I’m trying!” Their voice nearly drowned out by mini-gun fire.

The voice chuckled, “Yes, your agents did a fine job stalling my efforts to break into your channels, but when you are on my island, I decide what’s hot and what’s not as the radio announcers say and that means what I say airs! And I believe it is time for some rock and roll.”

Sienna’s ears perked up, “Brace!” She dug her feet into the stone, spreading her Aura into the earth, readying her spear and multiple Dust Daggers.

The Grimm before them leapt into the air with shrieks as a wave of and a dust cloud rose up as something like two dozen Boartusks rolled towards them.

Sienna let her daggers fly barricades of ice rising before her soldiers as her gunners let loose their arsenal upon their foes.

The Boartusks crashed against the shield wall, drawing shrieks of pain and reverberating shock waves of sound from the High Guard.

Sienna sense the explosion coming.

“Reinforce your allies, Aura wall, now!” Her palms shot out flat, conjuring a crimson barrier as the Grimm before her became bulbous, skin swelling, bone breaking as toxins sizzled.

The explosions were deafening, gaseous toxins filled the air, conjoined with black miasma and the putrid flames ripped through several of her soldier’s barriers, even as the line held.

A flare shot into the air from the Western mountains above where Maize’s forces had arrived, and Sienna distantly heard some of the ships taking off to join them as her ground forces held formation, shaken but unbroken.

Then a flash of crimson and shining emerald was glimpsed through the miasma and Sienna roared, “Second wave. Hold fast!” as they crashed against them, a swarming, snarling mass of violence and rage.

Somewhere in the distance, she saw Ilia’s signal flash and breathed a whisper of thanks to whatever had blessed her path.

_‘I just hope they’re fast enough_ ,’ she grimaced as androids bearing guns and spears lined up along the Eastern cliff faces.

Merlot’s chuckling filled the air, “Your forces fight well for sacrificial lambs sent by the kingdoms to die, but I am afraid that even your elite little army cannot contend with the unified purity of the Grimm!” 

_‘The shield wall did it job, now it will just cause more casualties!_ ’ She signaled to break and reform into platoons and for their newly arrives forces to charge, captains relaying her orders across the beach.

“Warriors,” Sienna roared over the din, “show this human and his beasts, the unbreakable spirit of our people!”

She was met with a roar as the Skirmishers surged forward, blades and guns at the ready as she drew back the shield wall and the Grimm surged forward.

Sienna let loose another Aura blade and charged forward with her soldiers.

Grimm and Faunus crashed against one another as the ocean does against the shore.

The battle was well and truly joined.

* * *

Ceto’s speeder hummed as they cut a straight line through the clouds towards their target.

“I haven’t heard word from the High Leader!” They hissed into their communicator.

“The islands communication has been blocked, we can still contact the out ships though and can confirm Ilia and Lazu have infiltrated the enemy compound,” their technician answered.

‘ _Sienna_ …’ Nico thought, their lower half coiling in frustration as they grasped the controls.

They snapped into the microphone, “All Shadow Fangs, top speed, scouting vessels, fall in and make ready to scan the island to adjust the Skirmishers deployments!”

“As you say, Shadow Sovereign!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, the chapter is huge so I've split it in half; I hope it proved enjoyable and if you have any questions, critique or comments, I would love to hear them!
> 
> Before this chapter was originally written Id been speculating about Sienna's Semblance, which came to naught as Amity Arena revealed it revealed it to us which had forced a lot of adaptions from me at the time XD At first I wasn’t a fan given how it was framed and how video gamey it seemed. However, it has grown on me for several reasons once I put my own spin on how it works, IE:
> 
> 1: If she’s dying and turns it on herself, she gains strength in response to her own weakness, sustaining her till she heals. IE this is a way RT can bring her back please do it RT!   
> 2: She can dislike her Semblance, viewing it as something to grapple with and master, Sienna is not ruled by her emotions, her Semblance or her instincts, she is always in control, contrasted against the likes of Adam who doesn’t even have a Semblance that beckons bloodshed and still being ruled by his desire to hurt and kill.  
> 3: “My Semblance is ideal for matches against my peers, for as we both grow more injured their power fails them, while my Grudge stirs, granting me renewed strength to secure victory… Of course, against a foe that is already weakened, it is but an executioner’s strike, normally I am too honorable for such a distasteful display, but you, Cinder Fall, have earned this."
> 
> I kept the strategy side of things somewhat vague, but I hope the portions of plans I have set up and shown so far worked show and set up worked, dealing in fantasy battles with super soldiers is always engaging to me, especially against either contemporaries or unique foes. 
> 
> Merlot wad a fun villain to write, I kinda wish I could use him more, but his attitude and goals also seemed like things that could easily be overdone or not make sense and thus overstay their welcome. 
> 
> Sienna’s speech took inspiration from Halkagenia Online which I re-read recently, that is such a good story! 
> 
> I hinted Merlot has participated in the Faunus Rights Revolution (Three guesses which side he was on), cos I feel it worked wel and was also something I had included in a in a movie treatment for a Faunus Rights Revolution Movie I cane up with ages back. 
> 
> Also Ceto is the snake equivalent of a Mermaid (Fish) Faunus. IE, their entire bottom half is snek/eel. 
> 
> Anyway, I think that is all, thanks for reading!


	9. A Battle Between Fang & Claw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the invasion of Merlot's Island in full swing the twisted scientists unleashes a host of horrors and traps upon his foes, while in Vale the wheels continue to turn.

A sharp hiss of cleaved steel hit Ilia’s ears and she was quick to grab the guard droid’s armored back and jammed Lightning Lash through its core before lowering it to the ground as they slid out of the vents and into the facility.

All around her there was metal, crisp clean whites and soft greys and lit by incredibly bright lights. Archaic engines pumped scalding hot steam across great paths, and freaking elevator music hummed throughout the halls.

“Come on!” she hissed, motioning for Lazu to trail after her they raced towards a terminal. It was an older holographic model, projected from two holsters bound to a standing terminal.

The taller Faunus linked up the hard drive and Ilia heard the machine humming as she stood guard, shifting her gaze and stance constantly, Lightning Lash ready and tingling with unspent power.

“There’s not as many guards as I thought,” Lazu murmured, as they carefully typed on the screen.

“He wants to wear us out, he knows if this becomes a siege he’s trapped, so we only have a skeleton crew to worry about and hopefully soon, not even that.” She glanced back at Lazu who was grimacing as he scanned the pages. “What’s the hold up?”

“This system has two networks, an outer array and a core system, we have a similar set up separating White Fang and civilian services, but I can’t break into the core systems from this outer terminal,” he explained hastily.

“What about that stupid virus?” Ilia asked, ears burning as something clanked in the distance.

“This is a beta, we had to reverse engineer this thing from what we trapped, and these computers operate on a system it wasn’t designed to hack, we’re lucky I’m getting this far,” he countered, teeth grinding.

“What do you have then, and where are the core terminals, so I can get you to one?” She asked.

“I have maps, defenses systems, limited access of course, and communications, I can contact the outside and give them entrance, just like we wanted.”

Ilia shrugged, “Well, do that then-.”

There was a beeping sound and Lazu answered, “Already done, ah!”

The chamber flashed red and Ilia snarled, as a cocksure and cavaliere voice echoed around them.

“My, my, isn’t this always the way, I don’t have guests for decades but suddenly they’re beating down the door, I do hope I have enough souvenirs for you all.” An old man’s visages flashed onto the screen, he was in a lab coat, with wild white and grey hair, with a glowing red prosthetic arm and eye, just as Maize had described.

He was however, typing near manically on a keyboard, even as he looked upon them from the screen.

“Terrible hacking etiquette, he’ll have so many spelling errors,” Lazu mumbled, as Ilia grasped his hand and dragged him off with a yelp.

“Core systems, now,” she hissed, drawing a nod and subtle direction from her fellow Faunus.

Merlot just hummed, “This is some rather interesting code you’ve got here, are you working for some Atlesian pencil pusher perhaps?”

Ilia spat upon the floor, drawing a reproachful, yet somehow amused chuckle, “Now, now, please mind your manners on the tour, you’re the first ones to be given a firsthand look at the interior running’s of Merlot Industries, where we are creating a better tomorrow, today!”

Ilia snapped back with a shriek as a steam vent disgorged burning hot liquid air into the hallway, heaving Lazu out of its path at the last moment.

She scowled at the nearest monitor, drawing only an amused grin, “You know, young ones, seeing as you are here, would you mind helping me run some tests? All in the name of scientific progress of course.”

“Do I get to say no?” Ilia snapped, as the stomping grew louder an… It was coming from the speakers!? ‘ _That noise was a cloak for the real attackers!’_

“You are in my home uninvited, so I must unfortunately say no, lest you want to negotiate terms.”

Ilia pushed Lazu behind him and heard the hum of his photon pistol, as she ground out, “Sorry, we’re not in the business of working with the Grimm!”

“Ah, such a shame, my children are such fascinating creatures, they just needed the right ‘touch’ as a parent might say. But you don’t need to take my word for it. Here at Merlot industries, we make the impossible, utterly feasible!”

And with that a steel wall began to crumble and tear, revealing a swarming pack of miniature Deathstalkers, their carapaces cracked and glowing, their stingers dripping acid and accompanied by a quartet of droids, energy field enshrouding their Grimm allies.

“I hope you know how to use that thing,” Ilia hissed, “Cos I need covering fire.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not as fast as you, but I can shoot, just make sure we both get home, OK?”

Ilia unleashed a surge of lightning across the steel floors, making the Grimm screech, “Oh no question.”

“Commencing the next field test,” hummed, Merlot. “Now I’d best go see about these new arrivals you’ve opened the back door for? Oh I know, I have some things lying around they are just going to love.”

* * *

“Shadow Sovereign, we are getting readings of enemies underwater, but the defenses have been de-activated, should be clear running,” Speeder three informed them.

Ceto furrowed their brow and hissed, “Stay high, shoot down all identified defenses on our way in to secure the entrance’s!”

“But, won’t that be a waste of useful resources?” Speeder two asked.

“Won’t it be wasteful to throw all these bodies and bullets at the island only to lose if the defenses come back online and take us by surprise?” Ceto encouraged creative and independent thinking in their agents, but it did mean they tended to give the snake Faunus more lip than the Skirmishers ever did their leader.

“As you say, Shadow Sovereign, commencing targeted defense strikes in one minute!”

Ceto hissed contentedly, “Reinforcements, close ranks and prepare defenses, we’ve surrounded them and If there’s one thing people and Grimm have in common it’s that when all escape routes are lost, they lash out wildly.”

With that, Ceto flicked on the speeders single barreled Dust fusion laser cannons and prepared to fire.

* * *

The remaining external defenses were down, or their positions compromised.

That was bad.

It meant more were coming.

The one’s invading the coast had not been splintered as expected, falling back only briefly to regroup into platoons led by powerful fighters and a deft commander. Even the arrival of the Water-Walkers, Lesser Leviathan barely as big as a human, had done nothing but stall the invaders path!

‘His children!’

Something cracked.

Ah, yes, the keyboard, pressing too hard, terrible business, that thing was important, but there were spares.

Another check, the ambush was holding, but the enhanced Deathstalker was in pain!

‘Hold on, hold on!’

Another motion, another scene, the two intruders had broken through the ambush and used the steam vents to block their pursuers!

It was too quiet, too quiet in the room, their head, they needed to act, needed to move, needed to-

Alarms flared, a chair was thrown over as the map was brought up on screen and fear blended with rage.

‘So many, these aren’t a sacrificial force, they aren’t just a gang, this is an army!’

They needed to be destroyed, the serum must survive, the Grimm must win.

“My research… Must… Continue!”

Even if it had to rise from ashes.

* * *

Sienna’s claws tore into toughened flesh, Aura surging she slashed upwards and ripped the Ursa asunder.

She glanced at her nearest High Guard and saw three crimson spears buried in the gut of an Alpha as red light tore through its form and it was consumed in a fiery blast.

To her other side a champion sundered a trio of androids shields and lobbed an ice grenade at their feet, the robots tried to escape, only to be frozen solid in a flash of misty white.

“That’s the last droids here, High Leader!” They waved.

“The Grimm are retreating!” someone cheered over the communicators, stinging her ears.

“We got more Water Walkers!”

Sienna spun and leapt into the air, Aura burning as she let loose a crimson slash that bisected the front ranks of the newest wave of snarling, snapping bipeds before they could even spot a burst of flame.

A duo of champions followed in her wake and cannon-balled the coastline, unleashing shockwaves that sent the Grimm hurtling into the air where they were torn apart by her Gunners.

“Correction, the there are no longer more Water Walkers!” spouted the same soldier.

Sienna’s burnt and bloody knuckles cracked and throbbed, even as she pushed through the wounds that had bypassed her Aura with a snarl, “All forces, close ranks around the wounded! Establish a perimeter, air support, evacuate the injured, I shall-” Dozens of engine roars struck her ears and Sienna smirked into the sky.

“The reinforcements have arrived, High Leader, we apologize for our belated arrival, but,” Ceto said, “The Anima chapter of the White Fang will join this battle!”

Tired cheers rose up across the coast as airships surged over the islands air space, opening fire on the aerial Grimm that raced to meet them, as troop carriers raced to the coast.

Sienna’s voice was rough but warm as she spoke over the open channels, “You’re timing is impeccable, Ceto, the new arrivals can form up with the champions, Maize and my High Guard while our vanguard recovers. You know where you need to be, old friend.”

“As you say High Leader, it’s an honor to share the battlefield with you again,” Ceto added.

“You as well,” Sienna said with a tired sigh, before raising her bloodied claws high, “Warriors of the White Fang, you have fought bravely and struck terror into the hearts of even the Grimm! Now we push forward to claim this fortress as our own!”

A mighty cheer rose up, followed by a throaty chuckle, that emanated from the walls.

Sienna scowled as Merlot spoke.

“Quite a performance, yes, very impressive, you’re no throw away force or rabble as I had expected, forgive me for not greeting your host appropriately. Still…” He said slowly, “Do not think this an easy venture, I have a host of horrors awaiting you within this house of mine. My children and I shall fight all the more fiercely to defend what we hold dear.”

“Ignore the mad rambling and form ranks!”

Sienna was surprised to see Maize arrive with a chunk of disintegrating Deathstalker in their grasp, sharpened teeth bared as they glowered at the speakers. She could smell the scent of blood on the warrior and clapped their younger fellow on the shoulder, whispering, “We will avenge them,” as the survivors of Maize’s arrived carrying their wounded.

That was when Merlot spoke again, voice tinged with an odd twang.

“Now, now, there’s no reason to insult me on my own island, Sienna Khan,” he said with utter confidence.

Sienna shrugged it off, so he’d heard in the chatter, it meant nothing.

“Yes, you are Sienna Khan, you carved a bloody swath in the revolution did you not?” His sigh was strained as he continued, “Ignore me if you wish, but I must thank you and your soldiers. Through this battle I have garnered much of how Remnant has developed in absence and seen many new ways to adapt my experiments to best meet these challenges.”

“I knew you were just making Grimm for your own ends!” Maize roared, “When I find you old man, I will bite off your head!”

“Still,” merlot continued as if not hearing them. “I would not wish to lose more facilities in the ensuing battle, nor you your soldiers, why not end this now, before you lose everything, Sienna Khan? I can make you a handsome offer.”

“All I desire from you right now is silence, and when I find you, justice for all that you have done,” She snapped back.

“Well now, justice is a rather flexible concept I am thinking, but as for my silence, that can be purchased easily enough… Just leave me be,” he said, as if straining against something. “There are islands aplenty and Mountain Glenn has many facilities suited to your people’s needs, why strike here, why me?”

Sienna saw her forces organizing and called out, “Because evil never lingers, it spreads like a flame unless it is snuffed out and you have burned for far too long Merlot. It ends before the next dawn.”

She heard the audible snap of his jaw as he snapped, “Do not underestimate the will of a man pushed to the brink, my work is too important to be stopped here!”

The emergency channel crackled, “He’s got bombs in here!” One of Ceto’s Shadow Fangs shouted, before an explosion tore through the air and left only static in its wake.

“Ceto call your forces back to secure the entryways and tread lightly. Ilia, Lazu, find a solution!”

They answered back with a sharp, “As you say, High Leader!”

“All forces, marshal, hazard masks on and move forward, we end this now!” Sienna roared.

Her soldiers chanted and saluted as they followed her charge.

‘ _There are no mines here, but the armor plating must have shielded his new explosives from our sight inside the complex!_ ’ Sienna thought as Grudge unfurled, ‘He will burn for this!’

* * *

Metal screamed as it was torn asunder, Ilia’s chest heaving as her foe’s broke carcass hit the floor, eyes wide and wild, as Lazu worked furiously behind her.

“We have more incoming!” She snapped, Lightning Lash crackling in her grasp as the last of her ammo was loaded in.

“I know, I know, I’m just, I’m- Got it!” Lazu cheered, followed by a flash of crimson across the compound and the sound of machines losing their power.

“So, you got the bombs!?” Ilia called, with an ear to ear grin, only to falter as Lazu hunched over the terminal shuddering.

“No… No, he’s isolated his terminal and the bomb controls, I have everything but them… He’s gonna kill us all.”

“Indeed, children, please forgive my in-hospitality, but you’ve been most ungracious guests,” Merlot’s voice echoed along the halls. “It is a shame, I looked up your organization on the net, I’m sure there is much we could have offered each other, but such is life and death.”

“You’re going to die too you maniac!”

Then Ilia stilled and snapped to Lazu, “Find his terminal, he must have them on a timer if we can keep him from escaping, we can make him deactivate them!”

“A quaint notion let us see if your wild hunch bears fruit,” Merlot intoned.

A new voice echoed in their ear pieces, “Do not speak.”

Both agents snapped to attention when their communicators crackled, and Ceto’s voice whispered in their ears.

“Just follow my instructions we have a plan to stack the deck in our favor.”

* * *

The prosthetic eye had long since been linked to the computers by a wireless link up. It had proven useful for a multitude of reasons.

However, the older nature of the hardware and the invaders scrambling the visuals it was difficult to determine their positions on the digital map.

But the cameras told another story.

One of a shadow rippling across the walls in a desperate bid to find their prey.

Of two youthful interlopers struggling to find a machine long since ruined.

It was a story of grand ambitions doomed for failure.

The escape hatched opened into a hallway that practically grew out from the ground, nothing but a half-formed cement tunnel and tough ground walked by some of the medium sized Grimm when they came or went.

It also led directly onto the Eastern section of island where a final fortified bunker waited for occupation.

Soon there would be nothing of the invaders but ash.

That was when the rustling of a chain filled the chamber and a burning, golden gaze locked on theirs.

“H… How…”

* * *

Sienna forced something akin to mock amusement into her tone, as she draped a spare cape gifted to her by a High guard over her shoulders.

“It was not difficult; your wireless signature was being tracked.

“But, but the battle outside, my children!?” He screeched.

“Dead or dying, I was no longer needed to oversee things, but I was among those fast enough to reach you before you could escape,” she answered, one hand grasping her Scroll in secret as she awaited the final signals.

The man was shaking, all save his arm as his face became drawn and stretched with dread, “Then, my maps?”

Sienna heard Shaleh and Jade chuckling as her High Guard slid into the gargantuan chamber. “Your unfamiliarity with modern wireless was your undoing, you’ve been watching an old security tape and false maps.”

“The time bombs are still ticking, this place only has a few minutes, if you want me to de-activate them-”

The signal hit and Sienna relaxed, only noticeable with a subtle softening in her posture and her smirk growing a shade gentler. “You can’t turn them off, you destroyed your own terminals.”

“But-”

Sienna bared her fangs, “The trap was sprung by Ceto.”

“That slithering shadow on the walls!”

“A fascinating Semblance wouldn’t you say?” She chuckled.

“But I still destroyed the systems!”

Sienna shook her head, earrings swaying with the motion, “You destroyed the terminal and left Grimm to ambush Ilia and Lazu. But while they may have been enough for a rundown Ilia, Ceto made short work of them and was able to link a wireless modem up to the left over cables, there was enough left for us to transfer controls over to a new core computer…” She strode forward, foot falls heavy, “I see the look on your face Merlot and that’s it, Lazu and Ilia never tried to find your chambers, they had no need.”

“Fine… Yes, I see, but then,” he was twitching, shaking, teeth gnashing as he spluttered, “Then maybe we can work something out. I was a businessman once, surely my expertise is something that can be of use to you, your army is strong but small, with my aid-”

“We would end up just like Mountain Glenn…” Sienna’s smirk faded into a stern, accusing stare as she looked upon the man, ears flattened in anger. “Oh yes, we hacked your systems remember, we know all about your work there and the role you played in the cities fall. Honestly,” she spat, “I don’t understand it, there are Grimm aplenty in the wild, there was no need to lure more to Mountain Glenn unless you had some ulterior motive.”

“Don’t talk as though you can understand my work, Faunus!” Merlot’s shriek was deafening, his prosthetic pulsing with crimson energy. “Mountain Glenn was doomed to fall, I merely ensured something could be born form the ashes! Do you not see, the Grimm are mere vessels to be filled with purpose, their rage directed, with them I could do anything.” His gaze snapped to Sienna; mouth stretched unnaturally wide.

“We, could do anything, Faunus.”

Niran snarled, “High Leader you can’t-”

“Be silent and let your leader speak!” Merlot howled.

He stepped forward, his prosthetic hand held out as if to reach across the divide, “destroy me and you’ll lose decades of knowledge, of secrets that could up-end the world as we know it and for what, an island? No, you’re too smart for that, its why you came to me personally, you know you need me, Sienna Khan. So, stand down your troops, turn this into your home base, and together can revolutionize the world!”

Sienna stared at the human, at his hand and answered with a quiet, almost distant tone.

“You don’t have a heartbeat.”

Merlot drew back, her guards froze, Sienna cut him off with a simple.

“Not even a pulse running through your veins.”

She tilted her head to the side.

“How long since you last ate?”

Merlot shrieked and bursting from his prosthetic eye was a blazing red beam.

Sienna merely leaned out of its path and growled, “Stay out of this,” at her guards as Merlot bared his claws prosthetic and lunged.

Flaring her cape, she let it absorb the blow, Aura shimmering as she let loose a small dagger.

Merlot’s gaze turned on her and shone crimson.

Sienna contorted herself around the flash and blurring out from behind her cape was another blow to his chest that struck like a gale of force and sent him screeching across the ground, bones popping and snapping as she let another bolt of steel fly.

Merlot threw himself to his feet and howled, “Come to me, my children!”

Steel flew and Sienna snarled, “Fan out, Barricade formation, scorch the floor!”

Her guards raced to obey, moving as blurs they formed a diamond around them. The spear wielded jamming their blades into the ground and unleashing the Aura infused waves of Burn Dust, making the earth pulse and glow, blistering heat filling the air, Meanwhile her Gunners, let loose waves of bullets and readied grenades from the snarling beasts en-root.

“No, no, leave them alone!” Merlot howled.

Prosthetic claw outstretched, he leapt towards the Shaleh, but Sienna blurred across the battlefield and crashed her side against his, cape swirling around her as she sent the man hurtling to the floor. His claws screeched across the ground as he forced himself to stop, looking upon her with nearly a child’s confusion.

“Why won’t you just let me work!?” 

Sienna did not answer as she let loose Cerberus’s Whip, the man thought himself safe at a distance, but a sharp pulse of Aura flooded the chain and tore out of the tip in one slim crimson blade of pure Aura.

The was an unholy screech as the arm was torn from flesh, thin tethers seeking to bind them together again as Merlot distractedly reached for the clawed appendage.

‘ _Thank you for your service,_ ’ Sienna prayed and latched Cerberus’s Whip around the prosthetic and with a snap tore it from any hope of rescue and instead wrapped it around Merlot’s neck. With a roar she flung the shaking handle and watched it encircle Merlot binding the stunned man, even as he cackled.

“What was this supposed to accomplish!?”

“Your senses leave much to be desired, creature,” Sienna answered, letting loose one finally dagger, the Lightning Dust within pulsing with power as it blurred towards her foe.

Only as the last moment did Merlot see the tiny Dust infused blades lining his flesh and the weapon that entrapped him.

Something wailed, louder than he ever could and shadows spilled into the air.

“Don’t leave me!”

Her blade struck, lighting crackled and screeched, streaks tearing through the air and arching across his body, triggering every other blade in a spectacular chain reaction.

Ice, Burn, Wind and Lightning roared and howled to life as one and in an instant, Merlot was consumed in a blinding flash of light and shrapnel that bellowed across the cracked and churning earth and ripped through the tunnel, filling the sky.

Sienna shouted sharply, palm thrusting forward and dispersing the remains of the smoke in a wave of Aura as her High Guards turned to survey the destruction.

There was but a crater of glass, faint fragments of steel wire and something pale wriggled for an instant even as they crackled and faded into nothing, not even miasma to mark their passage.

“High Leader… What was he?” Niran whispered.

The beastly howls filling the air grew confused and fearful, chaotic scrambling ensued, echoing and rebounding into Sienna’s ears.

“Too dangerous to live, that is all.” She tapped her Scroll and snapped, “All forces, we have destroyed their leader, the Grimm should be in disarray; push forward where you can, those with injured hold your position, we’re coming for you!” Her gaze turned to her allies,

“Secure the command center,” She ordered Shaleh, “Guard the technicians and aid us from there, the rest of you with me!”

“As you say, High Leader!’

Sienna tore off without another word, followed by her soldiers as they raced through the gaping wounds in the walls and returned to the fray, ashes scattered in their wake.

* * *

When the dawn came the battle was well and truly over.

The lingering flames of battle had been extinguished.

The sea Grimm roiling around the island had dispersed in bitter resignation.

The dead -more than hoped but less than expected- were counted and honored for their sacrifice.

The wounded had been treated and the living were given a time to celebrate and mourn before work was to begin again.

Some never stopped working, and their will pushed those who might have sought celebration to instead offer their aid in securing the site, unloading equipment, clearing rubble ad of course, deconstructing the apparatus of the Serum.

Among them, were the leaders of the White Fang, with Ceto and Maize working in a surprising quiet unity and of course, the one and only High Leader Sienna Khan and with her went the High Guard.

Following their example were others, such as Ilia and even the High Technicus.

The air hummed with bustling activity as they worked, inspected, and planned for their next stage of the operation. While civilian agents prepared meals and cared for those in a newly erected tent town upon the islands only sector of life on the otherwise barren rock and nestled neatly near the islands peak.

Sienna had already spent some time with the troops, thanking them for their efforts and offering what assurances she could. However, she knew her skills in comfort had atrophied somewhat over the years and that she was needed elsewhere, and so had returned to overseeing and aiding in the securing of the most unstable areas of the island.

As it was, she was currently holding up a large section of floor in place of a support beam, with an annoyed grimace on her face as the technicians dealt with the remaining electrical hazard. All the while she was coordinating with her allies.

“He may have been a skin puppet, but his records are useful, continue decoding the new elements so we can better contain and study this serum. I’ve no plans to use it, and doubt we even could for anything useful, but this can’t be the only source and I won’t let Atlas find one and use it to craft cats’ paws.”

“As you say, High Leader,” The High Technicus rasped, “I only wish their later notes weren’t in this arcane script!”

“I can commission some spiritualists, mystics or lore keepers to cross reference the language if it helps,” she offered.

The answer was an aggrieved sigh, before, the engineer answered, “I would appreciate that, High Leader.”

“Excellent, and as to this place, Ceto, Maize, your latest reports?” She intoned.

First addressed, Ceto was first to speak, their tone subdued and serious, it had been awhile since they lost an agent in the field and it was hitting them hard. “Our scouting ships and agents have reported no signs of Atesian of Valean agents or ships in this area. Given its distance from Vale and any worthwhile travel routes, I believe we are secure.”

Maize coughed and Sienna pinged them to speak, their own voice rough, but still possessing some of their mock cavalier manner. “The Scouts I left near Mountain Glenn and the Forever Falls reported some captured droids and a few sabotaged defenses tied to Vale, but nothing too serious yet.”

“Hmm, have the technicians with you assess the damage and see if you can either feign it being a technical fault and fix it or need to make it look like a Grimm attack, then fall back. I don’t want Vale to have any reason to suspect foul play.” She grimaced and added, “Have they had any luck with Taurus?”

“No High Leader, his Crimson Fang have seemingly gone to ground and I’m not comfortable sending anything but myself or elite champions to where they might be hiding.”

“A fair decision, we can focus on them once we are secured here. Speaking off…” She added.

“Yes, High Leader,” the High Technicus intoned more joyfully, “My agents and our civilian allies have finished our inspections. We believe that we can have the droids, defenses and sixty percent of the bases functions up and running withing a week, a week and a half at most. The repairs will take longer, as we need a large crew-”

“I’ll contact Ghira and the city mayors to rally a work force, you’ll have what you need,” Sienna swore.

“Then I believe with our own equipment we can have our new home base operating at ninety percent functionality by the end of the week and be both online and improved withing three, with more updates to the systems being an ongoing process.”

“Excellent, and it seems I am done here,” She let out a harsh breath as she lowered the section of a third story floor to the ground. “I’ll be moving to-” Sienna spied Ilia approaching her with wide, distressed eyes and muttered, “We’ll speak later,” before turning to Ilia who approached her, Scroll in hand.

“High Leader, there’s a new report I think you should see, it happened tonight.”

Sienna leaned over the smaller girl’s shoulder when Ilia pressed play and instinctively hissed at the sight of police vans and Atlesian soldiers in the burrows of Vale.

Sirens were flashing and bodies being wheeled out of a rundown boarding house, while a smattering of sobbing and dejected Faunus were loaded into armored police cars.

“Who were they?” she asked, fangs grinding, claws digging into her palms.

Ilia swallowed, “Some pacifist protesters, Tuckson coordinated information with them but they didn’t really work with us. The images got leaked to the late-night news stations as it happened and one of the channels ran with it, now they all are.”

Lisa Lavender’s voice intoned sternly from the Scroll. “A violent exchange took place in the Burrows tonight as the investigation of a tip into criminal movements turns violent, with an officer wounded and several Faunus suspects shot dead after threatening the investigators.”

Ilia cut the news off and jumped to one of their own channels which showed the expected. Police backed up by Atlesian agents bursting in through doors and windows to the screams and confusion of the residents and the first shooting being let loose by a ‘surprised’ office causing panic and attempts to run, followed by more shots.

“Who recorded this,” Sienna asked, a snarl barely held back in her throat.

Ilia shrugged, “A neighbor, it was left at one of our drop points.”

An angry rumble rocked her frame as the implications from all sides set in.

‘ _Dammit_ …’

She tapped her communicator and spat, “I will be returning to Vale and preparing for an enhanced mobilization of watchers and guards for our kin, get our agents into contact with a legal team, we can secure funds. We must prepare for the worst and start recruiting in Vale again. Effective immediately.”

She would not let them win, not again, the sound of the captured Faunus weeping burned in her mind and ripped at her insides.

‘ _This will not stand_!’

* * *

Across the land and at the Beacon cafeteria, Blake, her team, their new companion Emerald, and old hands in JNPR were all watching the reports intently.

Each bore an expression of disquiet or discontent, but nothing could match the look of abject rage bleeding onto Blake’s features.

* * *

Within his chambers, Ozpin looked to James and both silently cursed at what was meant to be a small but calming victory turning against them.

Specialist Marrow stood at attention, his expression portraying nothing.

The elevator rang and Glynda Goodwitch stepped inside with Velvet trailing at her back, and an incensed team CFVY falling in behind their small friend.

* * *

Within her dorm room, Cinder chuckled as she looked over the news; she’d have to remember to thank Yuma for having memorized Vale’s drop off points so she could turn them to her own ends.

_‘Now then_ ,’ she mused, opening the police’s database, _‘Let’s see who our next volunteers are_.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s that for the battle of the Island of Dr Melrot! Sorry I couldn’t get it out sooner or all in one piece, but it ended up with more scenes than expected and I’ve had some rather distracting projects. I hope it proved enjoyable and if you have any questions, critique or comments, I would love to hear them!
> 
> Sorry for the downer ending, but should I continue this story it sets up the next chapter and a scene I’ve wanted to use for ages and I felt it was believable all things considered and showed Cinder being active which felt necessary.
> 
> A few more minor notes. The Bazooka were based on Juniors own.  
> Sienna’s speech took inspiration from Halkagenia Online which I re-read recently and is great.
> 
> I hinted Merlot participated in the Faunus Rights Revolution War (Three guesses with whom), cos it was in a movie treatment for such a thing I came up with. However, he also easily could have just been trying to press buttons to get a reaction.
> 
> Also Ceto is the snake equivalent of a Mermaid (Fish) Faunus. IE, their entire bottom half is snek. 
> 
> Also while I did try to ensure it felt touch and go, the WF did have an advantage being an army. Given how Merlot was taken down in the game I kinda had to supe him up to make it fairer, but its still one island of Grimm and bots led by a man with no military command experience against a well trained & led army at the end of the day. Also long story short on Merlot his experiments with Grimm basically had him fuse a Geist with that fusion Grimm from the manga and bind it to a prosthetic & they kinda subconsciously possessed him. 
> 
> Finally, this was way longer than planned, haha XD
> 
> Anyway, I think that is all, thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, thanks for reading! 
> 
> I dipped into a lot of my HC for how the WF works and their connection to the wider world and other Faunus outside them as a whole, along with the criminal underworld, some cultural stuff and the like. 
> 
> Also as always, with the agents of chaos, I mean, RWBY, set to hurl themselves into this with no idea who is who or what anyone is up to things are liable to go off the canon rails fast. Also I hinted a little at a Semblance I initially chose for Sienna in this idea, it is subtle but it is there but no longer applies as I have embraced the Grudge XD 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for your time, if you have any questions, comments or feedback I’d really appreciate it!


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